Seth Meyers, along with other late-night hosts, have commented on Jimmy Kimmel’s show being suspended and defended his right to freedom of speech.
The 51-year-old talk show host discussed the matter in his latest episode of Late Night With Seth Meyers, on Thursday, September 18.
Meyers himself has had a difficult relationship with the US President and has been condemned by him multiple times, including a recent statement after the ban.
He began the segment by playfully blaming AI for any of his past statements against Donald Trump, claiming that they “are obviously deepfakes.”
Speaking about Kimmel, he continued, “It is a privilege and an honor to call Jimmy Kimmel my friend, in the same way that it’s a privilege and honour to do this show every night. I wake up every day and I count my blessings that I live in a country that at least purports to value freedom of speech.”
Meyers went on to call ABC’s move to ban the show, “a pivotal moment in our democracy.”
Advocating for “principles of free expression,” he recalled the President’s oath to bring it back, “Trump promised to end government censorship and bring back free speech and he’s doing the opposite.”
The statement comes after Kimmel’s show, Jimmy Kimmel Live!, was shelved indefinitely in the wake of his criticism of the government.