Olivia Rodrigo has spoken out in support of Jimmy Kimmel, calling the cancellation of his talk show “blatant censorship”.
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Jimmy Kimmel Live was pulled from ABC programming “indefinitely” last week in the wake of comments he made about late far-right activist Charlie Kirk, who was shot in the neck and killed at Utah Valley University campus on September 10.
Kimmel had suggested that all signs pointed to Kirk’s shooter being a Trump supporter, and said “the MAGA gang [were] trying to characterise this kid who killed Charlie Kirk as anything other than one of them, and doing everything they can to score political points from it.”
Following the cancellation of his show, former NME cover star Rodrigo took to her Instagram stories on Saturday (September 30), and reposted a previous statement from SAG-AFTRA, who have also condemned Disney subsidiary ABC for the move.
“So upset over this blatant censorship and abuse of power,” she wrote. “I stand with Jimmy Kimmel and I stand for freedom of speech.”
Olivia Rodrigo speaks out against ‘Jimmy Kimmel Live!’ being pulled off the air:
“so upset over this blatant censorship and abuse of power. I stand with Jimmy Kimmel and I stand for freedom of speech.” pic.twitter.com/lRZ4qigqYc
— Pop Crave (@PopCrave) September 20, 2025
It echoes the sentiments of most of Hollywood’s most prominent voices, many of whom have come out and condemned the decision to cancel Kimmel’s show, while fellow late-night legends Stephen Colbert and David Letterman have also spoken out, voicing concerns over free speech.
It is now believed that Kimmel’s business and legal representatives are in discussions with Disney and ABC executives in the hope of reaching a compromise that would allow for the return of Jimmy Kimmel Live.
Comedian and podcaster Marc Maron also criticised the suspension, saying on Instagram: “This is government censorship. This is the Trump administration coming after people who speak out against him.”
Over the weekend, John Cleese and Piers Morgan clashed over the cancellation after Morgan questioned Kimmel being “heralded as some kind of free speech martyr”.
The topic worked itself into Trump’s speech at Kirk’s memorial on Sunday (September 21), where he once again took aim at his political opponents on the “radical left” and addressed the backlash about Kimmel’s show being axed.
“The same commentators who this week are screaming fascism over a cancelled late-night TV show, where the anchor had no talent and no ratings, last week were implying that Charlie Kirk deserved what happened to him,” he said last night.
