Bill Maher Backs Jimmy Kimmel, Likens Situation to His Own Show’s Axing: “ABC Always Caves”

This week, Bill Maher received a warm welcome from his audience with a standing ovation as he stepped onto the stage of Real Time with Bill Maher. He took this opportunity to discuss the recent suspension of Jimmy Kimmel Live! by ABC, drawing parallels to his own dismissal by the network over two decades earlier.

“Guess why you’re all cheering: I’m still here,” Maher joked as he kicked off his show.

Maher elaborated, “It seems talk show hosts are dropping like video rental stores in the ’90s… Just so you know, I’m not scared of the FCC, and if President Trump is tuning in, here’s my message: Did you slim down? You’re looking fantastic,” which earned him applause and laughter from the crowd.

“That’s not really my style, and it never will be,” Maher continued, “but isn’t life bizarre? Exactly 24 years ago today, I made some remarks on ABC that led to my show being canceled, and Jimmy Kimmel ended up taking over my slot at Politically Incorrect. My show was axed before ‘cancel culture’ was even a thing.” (Following the 9/11 attacks, Maher contested the notion that the terrorists were “cowards,” suggesting instead that the U.S. acted cowardly by “lobbing cruise missiles from 2,000 miles away.” This caused a backlash that resulted in advertisers withdrawing and affiliates dropping the show. Subsequently, Kimmel was brought in to fill the late-night spot.)

Maher voiced his support for Kimmel following criticisms by several other late-night hosts — from David Letterman to Seth Meyers to Jay Leno — who condemned ABC’s decision to preempt Jimmy Kimmel Live! as a violation of free speech. This came after Jimmy Kimmel made a controversial joke about Donald Trump’s apparent indifference to the death of far-right spokesman Charlie Kirk: “The MAGA crowd spent the weekend trying to paint the guy who killed Charlie Kirk as anything but one of their own, using every trick in the book to make political hay,” Kimmel had commented.

The indefinite halt of the show followed threats from FCC chair Brendan Carr to take action over the joke, which mocked Trump’s emotional state. Nexstar, the largest TV station group in the U.S., also dropped the show for the “foreseeable future,” later clarifying that this decision was made independently without FCC influence. Meanwhile, Sinclair Broadcast Group, the second-largest station operator and the top owner of ABC affiliate stations, stated it would continue the suspension until Kimmel apologized to Kirk’s family and made a “substantial donation” to his conservative organization, Turning Point USA. In response, they filled the Kimmel time slot with a tribute to Kirk.

While Trump seemed to delight in the news, suggesting that Meyers and Jimmy Fallon might be next, Democratic leaders issued a joint statement on the issue, with the senior Democrat on the House Oversight Committee promising to initiate a formal inquiry. In Hollywood, guilds have responded passionately, with writers and actors demonstrating at the Disney lot in Burbank, and prominent figures like Damon Lindelof and She-Hulk star Tatiana Maslany either vowing not to collaborate with Disney going forward or urging boycotts of Hulu and Disney+. Andor writer and recent Emmy winner Dan Gilroy also contributed an op-ed in Deadline condemning the “toxic evil” and political “assault.”

The decision by ABC has also been criticized by prominent conservatives such as Ted Cruz and former Disney CEO Michael Eisner. Just today, an ABC affiliate in Sacramento, the site of a protest yesterday, was targeted in a shooting incident; fortunately, there were no injuries.

“This crap isn’t anything new; it’s actually gotten worse, but let’s face it, ABC is consistent,” Maher remarked. “ABC might as well stand for Always Be Caving. So, Jimmy, buddy, I’m with you, I support you, and hey, on the plus side, you no longer have to pretend to enjoy Disneyland.”

Maher went on in his monologue, slamming the “intimidation from the right” as “utterly hypocritical.” He cracked several jokes about corporate submission, stating that Good Morning America has renamed itself to include “even the jerks who didn’t vote for Trump” and that next year’s Golden Bachelor would feature Rudy Giuliani. He also quipped that Wolf Blitzer would be broadcasting from “The Capitulation Room” (a play on CNN’s The Situation Room, hosted by Blitzer and Pamela Brown).

During the episode, Maher pointed out that the hosts of The View had avoided discussing Kimmel’s situation for the second consecutive day, “because diving into real issues has never been their forte… it’s just a feel-good party show — that’s why they have hosts named Joy [Behar], Sunny [Hostin], and Whoopi [Goldberg].” (Yesterday, Carr had threatened to invoke the FCC’s equal time rule to scrutinize the talk show.)

Maher acknowledged that he didn’t completely agree with Kimmel’s remarks but insisted that Kimmel “doesn’t deserve to be fired over it.”

He concluded, “Trying to label these lunatics as belonging to any ‘team’ is a wild goose chase… This kid [alleged shooter Tyler Robinson] is holed up in his basement wearing VR goggles, engaged in absurd virtual realities, and you want to politicize this? This kid doesn’t fit into any political party; he needs serious help.”

In closing, Maher addressed Kimmel directly: “Buddy, you’ve run a terrific, humorous show for two decades; you should take pride in that. If this firing turns out like it did for me, you’ll find yourself with 23 years on an even better network.”