The recent news of the indefinite suspension of Jimmy Kimmel's TV show continues to generate debate and controversy in the United States.

While some followers of President Donald Trump see the measure as "great news", some prominent figures in Hollywood and politicians believe it represents an attack on freedom of expression.

The American television network ABC took the late-night program Jimmy Kimmel Live! off the air after receiving warnings from the FCC (Federal Communications Commission), the United States broadcasting regulator.

The decision came after a monologue in which Kimmel suggested that Trump supporters were “trying to score political points” with the murder of conservative activist Charlie Kirk on September 10.

In July, a similar news story caused controversy. CBS has surprisingly announced that The Late Show with Stephen Colbert will end its run in May 2026, citing a “purely financial decision amid a challenging time for late-night television.” But critics of the Trump administration have not overlooked the fact that the announcement came days after Colbert, a critic of Donald Trump, criticized Paramount Global, CBS’s parent company, for signing a multi-million dollar deal with the president. Beyond the debate over freedom of expression on American television, the suspension of both shows comes alongside major business deals that, some analysts say, have influenced those decisions. The merger of Skydance Media and Paramount Last July, Paramount Global, the owner of CBS, pledged to pay $16 million in entertainment expenses and donations to Trump’s presidential library after the president accused the 60 Minutes program of “tipping the scales in favor of the president.” Democratic Party” during the 2024 election campaign.

According to experts,The lawsuit had little legal basis. Critics, like Colbert himself, compared the deal to a “bribe.” “As someone who has always been a proud employee of this network, I am offended,” the comedian said during a live appearance. Some indeed saw the company’s decision as a ploy to get federal regulators—under orders from the president—to approve a multi-billion-dollar merger between Paramount Global and the media company Skydance. A couple of weeks after Colbert’s show was canceled, Skydance Media and Paramount Global officially closed their $8 billion deal, creating a new entertainment giant. Responding to the news of the merger, Massachusetts Senator Elizabeth Warren, who has called for an investigation into Paramount’s relationship with Trump over the Skydance merger, wrote on social media: “Looks like Donald Trump got paid $36.” millions for this merger. Bribery is illegal, regardless of who is president.”

The new company leaves Paramount’s Hollywood legacy, major television networks like CBS and MTV, streaming services, and more in the hands of billionaire Skydance founder David Ellison, the son of Oracle co-founder Larry Ellison, who is one of the richest men in the world and a friend and major supporter of Trump.

The FCC voted 2-1 to approve the merger. Democratic Commissioner Anna Gomez objected.

“After months of cowardly capitulation to this administration, Paramount finally got what it wanted. Unfortunately, it will be the American public who will ultimately pay the price for their actions,” Gomez wrote.

In recent months, the Ellisons have appeared focused on becoming the new masters of news and tipping the media scales further to the right and closer to the Republican Party and Trump.

According to reports in The Wall Street Journal, the family is also preparing an offer of around $80 billion for Warner Bros. Discovery, a media conglomerate that controls Warner Bros., HBO Max, and CNN.

Another multi-million dollar deal pending approval

As with the cancellation of The Late Show with Stephen Colbert, the suspension of Jimmy Kimmel Live! It comes amid another major acquisition.

In August, Nexstar Media Group, which owns dozens of ABC affiliates, announced its intention to acquire Tegna, another television operator, for $6.2 billion, in a deal that would require FCC approval.

The deal is controversial because it would combine two of the nation's largest owners of local TV stations and raises concerns about a potential monopoly.

That's why it requires a thorough review by the FCC, the same commission whose chairman, Brendan Carr, said in a podcast Wednesday that Kimmel's comments showed “the sickest behavior possible.”

“[The television networks] have a license from us, and therefore they have an obligation to operate in the public interest,” said Carr, a Trump appointee.

“We can do it by fair means or foul,” he declared.

Hours after that interview, ABC announced the indefinite suspension of Jimmy Kimmel Live!

On Thursday, Carr said in a separate interview with Fox: “We will continue to hold these stations accountable to the public interest, and if the stations don't like this simple solution, they can turn in their license to the FCC.”

“Appease Trump”

The New York Times columnist Andrew Ross Sorkin wrote that Kimmel’s suspension from ABC is “the latest example of how companies are seeking to appease the Trump administration.”

In an environment where more and more media outlets are under threat—The New York Times and The Wall Street Journal are facing $15 billion and $10 billion in defamation lawsuits, respectively—some are deciding to bow to the pressure.

Like CBS, ABC News reached a settlement with Trump late last year, under which it must pay $15 million to a foundation of the president, in addition to covering legal fees and issuing a public apology.

Trump had sued ABC News and its star anchor, George Stephanopoulos, after Stephanopoulos suggested on air that Trump raped the writer E. Jean Carroll, a former columnist for Elle magazine.

Trump was found guilty of sexual assault, not rape, against the columnist, to whom he has to pay millions in compensation.

“We are all Jimmy Kimmel”

Following the controversy over the suspension of Jimmy Kimmel from the show, several television hosts have publicly supported their fellow comedian.

Stephen Colbert began his show on Thursday by saying that: “we are all Jimmy Kimmel.”

He assured that the removal of his program from the air is a “blatant attack on freedom of expression.”

“Has it ever happened that a company seemingly caved to the whims of the president to ensure the success of its merger?” Colbert joked.

For his part, Seth Meyers, who hosts Late Night with Seth Meyers on NBC,declared that it is “a privilege and an honor to call Jimmy Kimmel my friend.”

Jon Stewart and Jimmy Fallon addressed the issue of free speech with humor, suggesting in satire-filled monologues that they had been forced to praise Donald Trump.

President Trump again suggested on Thursday that some television networks should have their licenses “taken away.”

In the United States, the FCC has regulatory power over major television networks, such as ABC and CBS, as well as local stations that carry their content.

Local station owners can also influence major networks by refusing to carry their programs.