ABC’s decision to indefinitely suspend Jimmy Kimmel Live! after Kimmel’s commentary on conservative commentator Charlie Kirk has sparked a firestorm. The move has been met with sharp backlash from a number of fans, celebrities, and politicians who see it as an overreach by the network, signaling a troubling shift in how much space late-night hosts are allowed to carve out for political humor. While Kimmel weighs his future, one ally who could make a difference is Stephen Colbert.
Colbert knows firsthand what it’s like to face corporate pushback. When CBS announced that it would be pulling the plug on The Late Show in 2026, Kimmel was one of the first to jump to Colbert's defense. He went after CBS executives for cutting Colbert despite his strong ratings. Kimmel went as far as to advocate for Colbert to win the Emmy (which he did) at the expense of Jimmy Kimmel Live!. At the time, Kimmel’s support mattered; it showed the late-night community wasn’t a rivalry, but a supportive group who had each other's backs.
Now the roles have reversed. Kimmel is the one staring down the consequences of corporate politics, while Colbert still has a platform, at least for the remainder of his tenure on CBS. With ABC under fire, Colbert can return the favor and use his stage to speak up for his late-night colleague.
ABC's move to suspend Kimmel hasn’t only angered fans, it has also become a flashpoint in debates over freedom of speech in entertainment. If Colbert chooses, he could use his remaining episodes as a platform to push back not just at ABC, but at the larger forces that seem to have a say in late-night. That includes the FCC, whose scrutiny of Kimmel's monologue appears to have influenced ABC. Sinclair Broadcast Group and Nexstar could also be Colbert's targets for their role in dropping Jimmy Kimmel Live! from affiliates they control.
Colbert also has a degree of freedom that others in late-night don’t, like Jimmy Fallon or Seth Meyers. CBS has already made its decision to end Colbert's run, meaning he can afford to take bigger swings without worrying about blowback. If Colbert goes after ABC or the corporate climate that led to Kimmel’s suspension, he does so from a position of relative independence. That makes his voice potentially the most powerful one in late-night right now.
Kimmel didn’t hesitate to defend Colbert when CBS canceled The Late Show. Now Colbert has a chance to repay the loyalty, not just by standing up for a friend, but by reminding audiences why late-night still matters. In an era when networks seem increasingly nervous about strong points of view, Colbert can ensure Kimmel isn’t on an island.
Colbert can start his campaign for Kimmel on Thursday night. Not only will the Late Show host have a chance to share his thoughts during the monologue, but he'll also welcome CNN anchor Jake Tapper to the show. A friend of Kimmel's, Tapper laid out the connection between the FCC and ABC's decision in a social media post after the news broke. The two could have a lot to say in Kimmel's defense.