Jay Leno is not usually one to wade into late-night controversies anymore, but his comments on Jimmy Kimmel’s suspension from ABC are turning heads. The former Tonight Show host came out in support of Kimmel after the network indefinitely benched the comedian for his remarks about Charlie Kirk.
“I’m on Jimmy Kimmel’s side on that one,” Leno told reporters at Chris Wallace’s Hollywood Walk of Fame ceremony. “I’m a huge proponent of free speech. Please. I’m on Jimmy Kimmel’s side.”
For longtime late-night TV fans, the endorsement is a surprise. Leno and Kimmel’s history is anything but friendly. Their feud dates back to the 2010 Tonight Show saga that saw Conan O’Brien squeezed out of NBC after just seven months. Kimmel was one of Leno’s most vocal critics during the fallout, repeatedly mocking him on-air and even roasting him to his face during an appearance on Leno's show.
And while the feud has cooled off in recent years, it still comes as a bit of a shock that Leno would issue such a strong defense in Kimmel's favor. Instead of taking the chance to stay quiet or even take a swipe at his one-time rival, Leno framed Kimmel’s suspension as a free speech issue. “You don’t get canceled saying popular things," he said. "Usually, it’s the truth that winds up getting canceled, so we’ll see what happens,”
The tone is markedly different from how Leno responded earlier this year when CBS announced the cancellation of The Late Show with Stephen Colbert. There was no ringing defense of Colbert’s voice in late-night, nor was there a broader argument about the value of dissenting perspectives on television. Instead, Leno questioned why any late-night host would alienate half the audience by attacking one particular group on the political spectrum.
With Kimmel, however, Leno is clearly making an exception. He went further in predicting that the ABC host’s career is far from finished: “Jimmy will land on his feet. He’s a talented guy. He’s funny. And we’ll see what happens.”
The endorsement matters because of the history between the two comedians. Kimmel has spent years lampooning Leno’s reputation in late-night history, often casting him as the villain in the Conan O’Brien saga. For Leno to now defend Kimmel suggests that time has softened his stance. It also highlights how seriously many in entertainment view ABC’s decision to sideline one of its most high-profile personalities in an apparent effort to appease the government. It's not just the Seth Meyers and Jon Stewarts of the world backing Kimmel.
Whether Kimmel ever returns to his desk at Jimmy Kimmel Live! remains to be seen. But if Jay Leno is publicly standing in Kimmel's corner, it may be a sign that the conversation around free speech and late-night TV isn't already over.