You can bet Jon Stewart has something to say about ABC pulling Jimmy Kimmel’s show from the air.
The Daily Show legend is going to take over the news desk for Thursday’s episode, breaking the Comedy Central show’s usual pattern of Stewart hosting on Monday nights.
The move follows an extraordinary 24 hours in media that play right into some of Stewart’s strengths as a commentator.
Stewart previously had a no-holds-barred response to his own parent company deciding to cancel CBS’ The Late Show With Stephen Colbert back in July.
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“The shows that you now seek to cancel, censor and control … a not-insignificant portion of that $8 billion value came from those fucking shows,” Stewart said back then, in words that could apply to the current situation with Kimmel. “What made you that money are shows that say something, shows that take a stand, shows that are unafraid. If you believe — as corporations or as networks — that you can make yourselves so innocuous that you can serve a gruel so flavorless that you will never again be on the boy king’s radar … Why would anyone watch you? And you are fucking wrong.”
ABC suspended Jimmy Kimmel Live! following a series of events that rapidly escalated on Wednesday. Kimmel had suggested during a seemingly offhand comment in Monday’s monologue that suspected Kirk shooter Tyler Robinson was a MAGA member. On Wednesday, FCC chair Brendan Carr threatened the licenses of ABC affiliates over the comment, prompting affiliate group Nexstar to declare it would preempt Kimmel’s show. Then ABC announced the show would be suspended “indefinitely.”