Jimmy Kimmel axe blasted by Stephen Colbert as host blames Donald Trump

Stephen Colbert has jumped to the defence of pal and fellow TV presenter Jimmy Kimmel following ABC's decision to axe his show. Jimmy Kimmel Live! was pulled "indefinitely" following the presenter's comments regarding the death of activist Charlie Kirk.

Now, following Donald Trump's celebrating of the announcement, Colbert has hit out at the president and ABC's call on the situation. He blasted the decision as "blatant censorship" in a rant which also saw him label Trump an "autocrat".

Taking to the screens behind the desk of his own late-night talk show, Colbert began his monologue on Thursday by saying: "I’m your host, Steven Colbert, but tonight, we are all Jimmy Kimmel."

He went on to say: "With an autocrat, you cannot give an inch. Jimmy, I stand with you and your staff 100%." He dedicated his show to the star, his staff members and free speech.

A day earlier, Jimmy took to the ABC programme to call out what he said he thought was hypocrisy in how Republicans have responded to the death of Kirk. However, his actions were met with a heavy hand by bosses at the organisation her pulled his show from air.

Andrew Alford, president of Nexstar's broadcasting division, said it "strongly objects" to Kimmel's comments. Following the decision, president Trump shared his glee.

Taking to Truth Social, the POTUS said "congratulations to ABC" and claimed "Kimmel has ZERO talent". His views weren't matched by all, though, and a number of big-name stars were quick to hit out at the axing.

Colbert followed the likes of Hollywood icon Ben Stiller and British comedian John Bishop in criticising the decision. Henry Winkler also shared his support for Kimmel on social media.

However, Piers Morgan seems to side with Trump's way of thinking. He questioned why members of the public were heralding the presenter as a 'free speech martyr' following his suspension.

The former Good Morning Britain star claimed on Twitter/X: "Jimmy Kimmel lied about Charlie Kirk’s assassin being MAGA. This caused understandable outrage all over America, prompted TV station owners to say they wouldn’t air him, and he’s now been suspended by his employers. Why is he being heralded as some kind of free speech martyr?"

Colbert is facing his own show ending soon, with CBS deciding to end the programme next year after eight years. Stephen became a household name hosting the satirical news programme The Colbert Report on Comedy Central from 2005 until 2014, before taking over from David Letterman as host of The Late Show on CBS, a subsidiary of Paramount Global.

CBS announced in July: "'THE LATE SHOW with STEPHEN COLBERT' will end its historic run in May 2026 at the end of the broadcast season. We consider Stephen Colbert irreplaceable and will retire the 'THE LATE SHOW' franchise at that time.

"We are proud that Stephen called CBS home. He and the broadcast will be remembered in the pantheon of greats that graced late-night television."

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