If cancel culture ever needed a surprise turn, it just happened: Barack Obama has spoken out. Following ABC’s indefinite suspension of Jimmy Kimmel’s show, the former president expressed his opinions. This came after Kimmel’s monologue regarding the murder of conservative activist Charlie Kirk caused an awful lot of outrage.
Obama, who usually stays out of heated cultural conflicts, voiced his disapproval of the current situation. He basically called it cancel culture 2.0 and pointed the finger at Donald Trump‘s administration.
Barack Obama argued they’ve taken online pile-ons to a whole new level by using government power against media outlets. He put it plainly: “After years of complaining about cancel culture, the current administration has taken it to a new and dangerous level by routinely threatening regulatory action against media companies unless they muzzle or fire reporters and commentators it doesn’t like.”
His bottom line was that a situation in which late-night hosts who are usually known for their sharp comedy and political satire are taken off air one by one can no longer be simply about comedians apologizing for jokes.
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Barack Obama is sounding the alarm about free speech and government overreach.
This is what happened: When discussing the MAGA movement’s response to Charlie Kirk’s death, late-night host Jimmy Kimmel made sharp remarks, specifically bringing up Tyler Robinson, the man who is believed to have killed Kirk. Many people, including FCC Chairman Brendan Carr, saw the jokes as offensive. Carr appeared on Benny Johnson’s podcast and warned, “We can do this the easy way or the hard way.” Almost immediately after, ABC pulled Kimmel’s show off the air.
ABC described the suspension as “indefinite.” After calling Kimmel’s monologue “offensive and insensitive,” Nexstar Communications Group (which owns 23 ABC stations) acted without a second thought. Let’s now introduce Donald Trump. “Congratulations to ABC for finally having the courage to do what had to be done,” he wrote in a celebratory post on Truth Social.
This case provided a clear answer to the question of whether cancel culture is mutually exclusive.
First is was Colbert. Now it’s Kimmel. This is what authoritarians do. Trump wants to shut down any free speech that is critical of him.
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Donald Trump Celebrates ABC Decision To Pull Jimmy Kimmel, Urges NBC To Drop Jimmy Fallon And Seth Meyershttps://t.co/Q51ktrYWFs— Sahara Stevens ❤️🇺🇸 (@Sahara_Stevens) September 18, 2025
Barack Obama fired back directly. He warned that Trump wasn’t just using culture wars as political fuel—he was pushing government pressure on media outlets. Obama argued this could have dangerous long-term consequences for press freedom.
On X (formerly Twitter), he wrote: “This is precisely the kind of government coercion that the First Amendment was designed to prevent. (…) Media companies need to start standing up rather than capitulating to it.”
Barack Obama’s recent comments about Jimmy Kimmel’s firing struck a chord across the TV industry. Insiders say his words felt personal as Obama has been a guest on Kimmel’s show multiple times, sharing laughs and serious talks.
He’s calling the host’s removal a threat to free speech, not just a network decision.
WOW! “The Late Show with Stephen Colbert” has just dropped its first response to ABC, FCC chair, and Disney firing Jimmy Kimmel.
Donald Trump is gonna have a meltdown tonight! 😂
This is a Must-Watch! 🔥
pic.twitter.com/OzN4V64CPO— Lucas Sanders 💙🗳️🌊💪🌈🚺🟧 (@LucasSa56947288) September 19, 2025
Tensions are rising behind closed doors. Kimmel has been weighing his options as his contract will end in May. Rumors have it that he may work with Stephen Colbert, who lost his own CBS talk show due to conflicts with President Donald Trump earlier this year. If these two team up, late-night could be less about ratings and more about pushing back against political pressure!
