Jane Fonda’s free speech group urges ABC to resist Trump’s demand to fire Jimmy Kimmel
The Committee for the First Amendment, a free speech advocacy group led by actress Jane Fonda, criticized President Donald Trump for urging ABC to fire late-night host Jimmy Kimmel over his comments about first lady Melania Trump.
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“In America, satire is not a crime. The right to mock, challenge, and, yes, offend those in power, is fundamental to democracy. From late-night television to political cartoons, comedy has long served as a powerful tool to expose hypocrisy, provoke debate, and incite accountability,” the organization said Monday in a statement first reported by NBC News.
“This is a test for ABC, for the press, and for our collective commitment to the First Amendment. The pressure is real. The intent is unmistakable. But we have been here before and we know what is expected of all of us. Let’s speak up. Push back. Don’t capitulate. Don’t stay silent,” the organization added.
The president and first lady objected to remarks Kimmel made on his show Thursday. In a segment parodying the White House Correspondents’ Association dinner, the late-night comedian said of the first lady: “You have the glow of a future widow.” »
The segment, which has garnered more than 4 million views on YouTube, aired on “Jimmy Kimmel Live!” two days before a gunman opened fire outside the Correspondents’ Association dinner in Washington.
The president, first lady and other senior government officials were kicked out of the ballroom.
The suspect wrote in a note to his family that he felt it was his duty to target Trump administration officials. He faces three charges, including attempted assassination of the President of the United States.
Trump criticized Kimmel’s segment in an article on Truth Social on Monday, calling it “truly shocking” and directly linking the comedian’s comments to the weekend shooting.
“I understand that so many people are angered by Kimmel’s despicable call to violence and would not normally respond to anything he says, but this is something far beyond normal,” the president wrote in part. “Jimmy Kimmel should be fired by Disney and ABC immediately.”
In another post on X, the first lady said Kimmel’s “hateful and violent rhetoric aims to divide our country.”
She added in part: “Enough is enough. It’s time for ABC to take a stand. How many times will ABC executives enable Kimmel’s atrocious behavior to the detriment of our community.”
ABC, Disney and Kimmel’s publicist did not immediately respond to requests for comment Monday. In response to a request for comment on Fonda’s organization’s statement, the White House referred NBC News to the president’s message regarding Kimmel.
The Committee for the First Amendment, referring to the president and first lady’s statement, said in part: “Their demands follow the same old, tired authoritarian playbook: using the weight of government to pressure the media to silence speech they disapprove of and erode First Amendment protections.” »
“Our answer remains the same: no. We will not pre-obey. And neither should ABC. We will continue to speak with the protections of the First Amendment and we encourage everyone to do the same,” the group added.
Fonda’s father, Hollywood star Henry Fonda, started the first incarnation of the organization in 1947 to oppose the House Un-American Activities Committee, which was investigating alleged Soviet influence in Hollywood and Washington.
This period is closely associated with Senator Joseph McCarthy, Republican of Wisconsin, an anticommunist crusader who gained national recognition through his fiery rhetoric and aggressive tactics. Critics of McCarthy called him a demagogue.
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Jane Fonda speaks at protest in Washington
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Jane Fonda revived the organization in October, a month after ABC briefly suspended “Jimmy Kimmel Live!” on the host’s comments on the political motivations of the man accused of the assassination of conservative activist Charlie Kirk.
“The MAGA gang [is] desperately trying to characterize this kid who murdered Charlie Kirk as anything other than one of them and doing everything he can to get political points out of it,” Kimmel said on the September 15 episode of his show.
Investigators had not yet released details about the suspect’s possible motivations. Utah Gov. Spencer Cox, a Republican, said the suspect grew up in a conservative Utah family but was later influenced by “left-wing ideology.”
The week after Kimmel’s suspension, he returned to the airwaves and delivered a moving monologue. “You understand that I never intended to take the murder of a young man lightly,” he said. “I don’t think there’s anything funny about that.”
In early December, Kimmel signed a one-year extension at ABC to continue hosting the network’s flagship late-night talk show, according to a source familiar with the matter.
Fonda has long championed progressive causes, including environmentalism, the civil rights movement, the women’s liberation movement, and the LGBTQ rights movement. She publicly protested the Vietnam War and the Iraq War.
