Zohran Mamdani, Democratic candidate for mayor speaks throughout a press convention celebrating his major victory with leaders and members of town’s labor unions on July 2, 2025 in New York.
Angela Weiss | Afp | Getty Images
Zohran Mamdani, the front-runner within the New York City mayor’s race, on Monday stated he was dropping out of an upcoming WABC-TV city corridor due to the suspension of Jimmy Kimmel‘s late-night speak present by ABC beneath strain from the Trump administration.
“I am withdrawing from an ABC town hall that was scheduled to take place this Thursday,” Mamdani, the Democratic nominee, stated at an occasion on Roosevelt Island, in accordance with a transcript launched by his marketing campaign.
“I am withdrawing not as an indictment of the local affiliate or the hardworking journalists, but rather in response to the corporate leaders who have put their bottom line ahead of their responsibility in upholding the freedom of the press,” Mamdani stated.
He blasted WABC’s proprietor, ABC, whose company dad or mum Disney stays mum on the query of when — or if — Kimmel’s present will return after it was yanked beneath strain from the Federal Communications Commission due to feedback he made concerning the killing of conservative activist Charlie Kirk.
ABC stated final week that the “Jimmy Kimmel Live!’ show is off the air “indefinitely” on the heels of Nexstar Media Group saying that its stations affiliated with ABC would preempt Kimmel’s present “for the foreseeable future” because of the host’s statements tying Kirk’s alleged killer to the MAGA movement.
“We can’t perceive this second of authoritarianism as solely coming from the White House, when additionally it is characterised by the cowardice of these in response to it — the cowardice that we now have seen typified whether or not by the dad or mum firm of ABC or by so-called leaders like Andrew Cuomo and Eric Adams trying to the White House for his or her path to their future ambition,” Mamdani said.
Cuomo, a former New York governor, and the current New York City Mayor Adams are running as independents against Mamdani.
JIMMY KIMMEL LIVE! “Jimmy Kimmel Live!” airs every weeknight at 11:35 p.m. ET and features a diverse lineup of guests that include celebrities, athletes, musical acts, comedians and human interest subjects, along with comedy bits and a house band. The guests for Monday, June 16 included Steve Martin (“5 Days Out, 2 Days Back”), Zach Cherry (“Severance”), and musical guest Steve Martin with Alison Brown & Tim O’Brien.
Randy Holmes | Disney General Entertainment Content | Getty Images
Meanwhile, a slew of Oscar winners and other Hollywood artists are backing Kimmel in a new letter organized by the American Civil Liberties Union.
“Last week, Jimmy Kimmel was taken off the air after the federal government threatened a personal firm with retaliation, marking a darkish second for freedom of speech in our nation,” said the ACLU’s letter, which has more than 400 signatories.
“In an try and silence its critics, our authorities has resorted to threatening the livelihoods of journalists, speak present hosts, artists, creatives, and entertainers throughout the board. This runs counter to the values our nation was constructed upon, and our Constitution ensures,” the letter says.
Stars who signed the letter embody Academy Award winners Robert DeNiro, Jane Fonda, Meryl Streep, Frances McDormand.