Jimmy Fallon Champions Free Speech, Eager for Kimmel’s ABC Comeback

Jimmy Fallon entered the political fray just a day after his friend Jimmy Kimmel was sidelined by ABC.

Fallon, who usually avoids heavy political commentary, kicked off his show with, “The headline today is that Jimmy Kimmel has been put on pause by ABC following some pushback from the FCC, and everyone’s left wondering, what the heck?”

“There’s a lot of concern that we might start holding back or face censorship, but I’m going to talk about the President’s visit to the UK just as I normally would,” Fallon stated before moving into a segment where the end of his jokes were altered by an off-screen voice.

“President Trump has just concluded his three-day visit to the UK, and he looked stunning… His tie was the perfect length, his complexion seemed like a believable human color, and his hair was looking better than Conrad’s from The Summer I Turned Pretty,” he quipped.

“To wrap it up, President Trump is helping make America great again by enhancing our national image, boosting our economy, and strengthening our military. I’d say he deserves the Nobel Peace Prize,” he continued. “See, we can still speak freely.”

Fallon humorously mentioned, “I woke up to ‘100 text messages from my dad, all saying, ‘I’m sorry they canceled your show’.”

He also shared a sincere message for Kimmel, with whom he shares a close bond. Kimmel was a guest on Fallon’s NBC gameshow Password last year, and the duo have even swapped shows as part of an April Fools’ Day joke.

“To be clear, I’m just as confused as everyone else. But I know Jimmy Kimmel well, and he’s a good, humorous, and caring person. I’m rooting for his return,” Fallon expressed.

This comes just 24 hours after ABC put Jimmy Kimmel Live! on indefinite hold following a controversy surrounding Kimmel’s remarks about the person who killed Charlie Kirk.

On Monday, Kimmel had commented, “This past weekend saw some real lows from the MAGA crowd trying to portray the murderer of Charlie Kirk as anything but one of their own, all while trying to capitalize politically.”

FCC Chairman Brendan Carr later described Kimmel’s remarks as “among the most reprehensible behavior imaginable.”

Shortly after, local broadcaster Nexstar announced it would “temporarily remove Jimmy Kimmel Live! from its schedule as it disagrees strongly with Mr. Kimmel’s recent statements regarding the tragedy involving Charlie Kirk.”

Subsequently, Disney decided to also temporarily halt the show.