Jimmy Kimmel found himself at the center of a major situation back in September, at which point his eponymous late-night talk show was pulled from the air by ABC. That move came after Kimmel made comments related to the murder of right-wing political pundit Charlie Kirk. Five days after the suspension was initiated on September 17, Disney lifted it, and the show returned to the air on the 26th. Ahead of that reinstatement, various celebrities lent support to Kimmel, including Kathy Griffin, who found the situation somewhat triggering.
Kathy Griffin revealed that following the suspension of Jimmy Kimmel Live!, she contacted the titular host on “day one.” Someone may be tempted to assume that this was simply a general instance of a comedian showing solidarity with another comic. However, it goes a bit deeper than that. While speaking with People, Griffin explained that she felt compelled to reach out to Kimmel, in part, because of the way he stepped up for her when she was in trouble for political-related reasons:
It’s been really triggering for me because Jimmy was the only one who would have me on his show during all those years I was canceled. I know what it’s like to have the bigwigs and head honchos say, ‘She’s too dangerous.’
Back in 2017, Griffin stirred up controversy after taking part in a photoshoot, which showed her posing with a severed head of President Donald Trump. Griffin has since detailed the significant blowback she faced for her actions and even told People a lot of her friends “dumped” her around that time. (At one point, the status of Griffin’s friendship with Anderson Cooper – her former CNN colleague – also seemed to be up in the air.) Nevertheless, it appears Kimmel remained in Griffin’s corner throughout that period in her life.
Jimmy Kimmel’s own issues were initiated after FCC Chairman Brendan Carr appeared on a podcast and suggested that ABC’s broadcasting license could be revoked. Around that same time, broadcast companies Nexstar and Sinclair announced that they would pull Live! from their affiliates indefinitely due to Kimmel’s comments. After the suspension – which was decided upon by Disney CEO Bob Iger and company chairman Dana Walden – was decided upon, President Trump and others spoke out in support of the move.
Despite the opposition to Kimmel’s show returning to the air, there were a plethora of celebrities who were in favor of him being reinstated. Early on, Ben Stiller, Don Lemon and more defended Kimmel, as they took issue with the reasons for him being suspended. Tom Hanks, Meryl Streep and others later signed a letter from the American Civil Liberties Union and called for others to speak out in support of free speech.
As a whole, Jimmy Kimmel and Kathy Griffin’s respective controversies differ in a few key ways. What obviously remains consistent with both situations, though, is the notion that both Griffin and Kimmel wanted to support each other as they went through their respective issues. Although we can’t speak for Kimmel, it’s easy to imagine that he appreciated Griffin reaching out as much as she appreciated him still welcoming her to his talk show.
Jimmy Kimmel Live! airs on weeknights on ABC at 11:35 p.m. ET. Also, take a look at the 2025 TV schedule for broadcast information on other late-night shows that are airing.
