The LGBTQ+ and broader creative community are speaking out after ABC announced it was pulling Jimmy Kimmel Live! off the air indefinitely. The decision came hours after Federal Communications Commission (FCC) chair Brendan Carr threatened action against ABC and Disney, following Kimmel’s monologue in which he said the “MAGA gang” was “desperately trying to characterise this kid who murdered Charlie Kirk as anything other than one of them” and of trying to “score political points from it.”

Many in the entertainment industry and beyond have condemned the move, seeing it as a direct attack on free expression.

Rosie O’Donnell took to social media with an unflinching response: “This is unacceptable — f*ck this fascist administration and corrupt corporate executives — bowing to the orange monster — America is no more.”

Jean Smart echoed the sentiment, highlighting the threat to free speech: “I am horrified at the cancellation of Jimmy Kimmel Live. What Jimmy said was FREE speech, not hate speech.

“People seem to only want to protect free speech when it suits THEIR agenda. Though I didn’t agree at ALL with Charlie Kirk, his shooting death sickened me, and should have sickened any decent human being. What is happening to our country?”

Others in the queer community underscored the chilling precedent being set. Bowen Yang shared writer Bess Kalb’s original post, which laid out Kimmel’s words plainly.

“This is what Kimmel said,” the post reads. “This is what got him yanked off the air. This is factual information: The MAGA Gang is desperately trying to characterise this kid who murdered Charlie Kirk as anything other than one of them and doing everything they can to score political points from it. In between the finger-pointing, there was grieving.”

Drag performer Kandy Muse voiced what many fear: “I just want you all to know that this is literally going to be the future of television under this administration, unfortunately.”

Actor Marissa Bode called out the corporate capitulation: “Completely spineless employers folding so easily, digging us deeper into fascism. How do you go to bed at night knowing you’re nothing more than a ‘yes man’ puppet? What do you really stand for? Do you even have a clue? And a lot of touuugh talk for the party of ‘free speech.’”

SAG-AFTRA, the world’s largest labour union for performers and broadcasters, also released a sharp statement: “Our society depends on freedom of expression. Suppression of free speech and retaliation for speaking out on significant issues of public concern run counter to the fundamental rights we all rely on.”

Comedians, including Margaret Cho, signed an open letter stressing what this moment means:

“It’s a dark time for comedians and, by extension, for all Americans. Every culture needs humour. It’s how we heal and how we connect. Take it away, and what’s left is fear, silence, and a bleak existence. When the government targets one of us, they target all of us. They strike at the heart of our shared humanity. They strip away the basic right every person deserves: to speak freely, question boldly, and laugh loudly.”

As voices from across queer and allied communities join in solidarity, the suspension of Jimmy Kimmel Live! has become more than a network decision; it is now a rallying point in the fight for free speech, creative resistance, and cultural survival.

When questioned on the matter by reporters onboard Air Force One as he left the UK, Trump suggested that if any TV networks only give him bad press, “maybe their licence should be taken away”.