Bill Maher used his Real Time monologue to defend Jimmy Kimmel after ABC suspended Jimmy Kimmel Live!, drawing a direct line to his own firing from the network 24 years ago. "I know why you’re happy tonight: I’m still on," Maher told his audience, adding, "Talk show hosts are going down like Blockbusters in the ’90s … Let me just tell you something, I am not intimidated by the FCC, and if President Trump is watching, I have one thing to say to you: Have you lost weight? You look terrific." He noted the coincidence of the date: "It was 24 years to the day that I made comments on ABC that got me canceled from that network, and Jimmy Kimmel took my slot at Politically Incorrect. I got canceled before cancel even had a culture."
Kimmel’s suspension followed a joke about Donald Trump’s response to the killing of right-wing figure Charlie Kirk, a remark that set off FCC threats, affiliate pullouts, and political backlash across station groups. Nexstar pulled the show for the foreseeable future, while Sinclair Broadcast Group demanded an apology to Kirk’s family and a donation to Turning Point USA. The network controversy came amid a broader industry backlash against late-night jokes that touch on politics.
Hollywood unions, Democratic lawmakers, and fellow late-night hosts blasted the move as corporate cowardice. Maher, never one to hold back, said the lines about media and politics are part of a larger pattern. "This sh*t ain’t new; it’s worse … ABC stands for Always Be Caving. So, Jimmy, pal, I am with you, I support you, and on the bright side, you don’t have to pretend anymore that you like Disneyland." He also ribbed coverage by media figures, joking that, "Good Morning America has changed its name to add the postscript ‘even the scum who didn’t vote for Trump.’ Next year’s Golden Bachelor will be Rudy Giuliani. Even Wolf Blitzer will be reporting from ‘The Capitulation Room.’"
Maher then turned to Kimmel directly, saying, "Pal, you did a great, funny show for two decades; you should be proud of that. If this firing goes for you the way it did for me, you’ll get 23 years on a better network." The remarks underscore a broader debate about corporate responses to political commentary and the resilience of late-night hosts who push boundaries.