In the aftermath of CBS cancelling The Late Show, nobody has had Stephen Colbert's back more than Jimmy Kimmel. He proved that once more with his latest move by keeping the spotlight on Colbert.
Kimmel didn't waste any time voicing his support for Colbert by bashing CBS and Paramount just after news broke that The Late Show would end next year. He continued pushing back against the network and President Donald Trump, trading barbs on social media.
Things went to new heights when Kimmel took out a billboard in Los Angeles to say he's voting for Colbert to win the Emmy. Technically, Kimmel and Colbert are rivals, but the ABC host is intent on putting all that to the side to support his friend and fellow late-night TV star.
Now, Kimmel has done it again. What was meant to be a feature story about his late-night accomplishments turned into another chance for Kimmel to advocate for Colbert. In an interview with Variety, Kimmel made sure the conversation was about The Late Show, Colbert, and the current state of late-night TV.
Despite being nominated for four Emmys, Kimmel doesn't want to hear his name called in one category.
"It seems like voting for Stephen is the least we could do at this point, and I think it will be a nice statement if he does win," Kimmel said. "Obviously, awards don’t mean much, but every once in a while they do, and in this case, I think it will. So I fully expect Stephen to win the Emmy as I think people are very, very upset about what happened to him and his show."
Kimmel should be applauded for the gesture and keeping the attention on Colbert. ABC would probably rather he talk up his own show on their network rather than a competitor. But at this point, that's never going to happen. Kimmel is an established star and more importantly, a close friend to Colbert.
The comedian explained that the writers' strike brought all the late-night hosts closer together. They've stayed in constant contact since the Strike Force Five podcast and now commiserate over the current political climate, including Paramount appearing to cave into pressure from the Trump administration by cancelling The Late Show.
"Silencing comedians, commentators, whatever you want to call people… I have to say, if Joe Biden had used his muscle to get Sean Hannity kicked off the air, you may be surprised to learn that I would not support that," Kimmel said. "I would, in fact, support Sean Hannity in that situation, because I thought one of the founding principles of this country was free speech. But people don’t seem to care about protecting it unless you agree with them."
So Kimmel has taken it upon himself to protect Colbert, advocating for his friend to at least get some additional recognition before leaving The Late Show. And when Variety wanted to talk about him, Kimmel made a point to add a final pitch on Colbert's behalf:
"He’s not just a sweet man. He is very moral — he’s a very ethical person. He is the salt of the earth. He is a humble person and an extremely smart person. I hope that whatever he does next is even more powerful than what he’d been doing. And I think that’s very possible."