For over 200 years, this nation has upheld the values of the First Amendment, protecting citizens’ freedom of speech. However, the safety of these values is nebulous today, with major television networks like ABC and CBS canceling late night hosts’ shows for comments regarding political figures.
Since 2015, the Late Show with Stephen Colbert has aired on CBS, correlating with when President Donald Trump first began his campaign for the 2016 presidential election. After inheriting the show from David Letterman, Colbert built it on a stronger political basis, having politicians as guests in addition to the typical musicians and movie stars. Very early on, he established himself as a critic of Trump, only making him a bigger target of the president.
In 2024, Trump sued Paramount Global, claiming they heavily edited their interview with former Vice President Kamala Harris to improve her chances in the 2024 presidential election. The lawsuit came to a conclusion in 2025 with Paramount paying a $16 million settlement to Trump. Colbert went on to criticize the settlement, calling it a “big fat bribe” to appease the president. This comment caused CBS to announce that Colbert’s show would be coming to an end in May 2026.
Despite much speculation that Trump was behind the cancellation, CBS claimed it was for financial reasons. However, soon after, Trump tweeted in celebration, saying that he was happy Colbert was fired, and that “his talent was even less than his ratings.”
Ironically, the increased turmoil has prompted Colbert to be even more open in his critiques of Trump because he knows his show already has an expiration date. Right after the announcement was made, he told Trump to “go f*** himself” and that “the gloves were coming off,” conveying his intention to stop withholding his criticism of the president. Many popular celebrities have shown their support for Colbert including fellow late night hosts Jimmy Fallon and Seth Meyers, actors like Jamie Lee Curtis and Julia Louis-Dreyfus, and musicians like Lin Manuel Miranda and Weird Al Yankovic. Colbert’s show went on to win the Emmy Award for Outstanding Talk Series, along with a standing ovation from the crowd.
On Sept. 10, right-wing political activist Charlie Kirk was shot and killed at the Turning Point USA debate in Utah. Many figures, political and celebrity, used their social media platforms to condemn gun violence following his death. Late night host Jimmy Kimmel from ABC’s Jimmy Kimmel Live tweeted, sending prayers to Kirk’s family in addition to all the children who have been killed or injured by guns. However, his address was overlooked by many conservatives who were offended by the comments Kimmel had made on his show regarding the politics of the shooter. ABC then made the decision to pull his show off the air “indefinitely,” and like the situation with Colbert, Trump celebrated Kimmel’s cancellation, calling him unfunny and talentless.
However, the voice of the people proved to be louder in Kimmel’s situation. Over 475 actors, politicians, and musicians signed a petition denouncing the government’s censorship, and millions of people around the world canceled their Hulu and Disney+ subscriptions in solidarity with Kimmel. The network soon had no choice but to put Kimmel back on the air. While Disney claimed their decision to reinstate Kimmel’s show was a result of some “thoughtful conversations” with him, there has been immense public speculation that it was more likely business motivated due to the millions of subscription cancellations.
In Kimmel’s first show after reinstatement, he held back tears when discussing Kirk’s death, saying the assassination was not funny and gun violence will never be the answer.
With late night hosts at risk of being canceled for comments against political figures, the First Amendment is at a level of endangerment that America has never seen before. However, the restoration of Jimmy Kimmel Live serves as evidence that censorship can be defied as long as the people are willing to unite against it.
