Last Wednesday, ABC programming announced Jimmy Kimmel Live! would be suspended “indefinitely” in response to the host’s criticism of MAGA Republican President Donald Trump, the Trump administration, and the GOP exploiting the death of Turning Point USA founder Charlie Kirk to further their own agendas.
In the aftermath, other late-night hosts and free speech advocates—as well as a number of conservative talking heads—spoke out in defense of the First Amendment while Trump spoke about eliminating more talk show hosts and his Attorney General, Pam Bondi, talked of using her Department of Justice to target "hate speech."
One usually vocal group that seemed surprisingly silent was the ladies of The View. The daytime talk show is also part of ABC, leading many to believe either the network or parent company Disney put out a gag order on the topic.
But on Monday, host Whoopi Goldberg stated:
"Did y’all really think we weren’t going to talk about Jimmy Kimmel? I mean, have you watched the show over the last 29 seasons? No one silences us."
You can see the moment here:
Goldberg explained:
"When the news broke last week about Jimmy Kimmel’s suspension, we took a breath to see if Jimmy was going to say anything about it first."
Then the Oscar winner explained the First Amendment right to free speech is based on non-interference by the government.
"You can not like a show, and it can go off the air. Someone can say something they shouldn’t, and get taken off the air."
"But the government cannot apply pressure to force someone to be silenced."
Co-host and former Republican strategist Ana Navarro added:
"I don’t understand how in this country, where the First Amendment was made to the Constitution to guarantee freedom of the press and freedom of speech, how the government itself is using its weight and power to bully and scare people into silence."
Former Trump administration member Alyssa Farah Griffin opined:
"The First Amendment is the first for a reason, because you need to be able to hold those in power accountable."
Goldberg concluded the discussion, saying:
"We talk about freedom of speech a lot because we are always in somebody’s mess because somebody has decided that we have said something that’s offensive."
"But we fight for everybody’s right to have freedom of speech because it means my speech is free, it means your speech is free."
People weren't sure they believed The View hosts weren't instructed to wait for a decision by Disney before speaking on the topic.
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Walt Disney Company announced Monday:
"Last Wednesday, we made the decision to suspend production on the show to avoid further inflaming a tense situation at an emotional moment for our country."
"It is a decision we made because we felt some of the comments were ill-timed and thus insensitive. We have spent the last days having thoughtful conversations with Jimmy, and after those conversations, we reached the decision to return the show on Tuesday."
Speculation online points to a Disney decision based on dollars, not discussions with Kimmel.
Free speech advocates called for a boycott of all things Disney, with the company's streaming platforms taking a hit almost immediately.
While the entire episode is complicated, one thing is clear.
The Trump administration will weaponize every agency and department of the federal government to get their way—regardless of what is ethically, morally, or legally right.
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