Stern: I'm Canceling Disney Subscription Over Kimmel

Howard Stern is the latest public figure calling out ABC's suspension of Jimmy Kimmel. On his SiriusXM show Monday, Stern blasted the Disney-owned network for yanking Kimmel's late-night program because of his comments after Charlie Kirk's murder, reports Billboard. Two quotes:

• "When the government says, 'I'm not pleased with you, so we're going to orchestrate a way to silence you,' it's the wrong direction for our country," said Stern. "It isn't good."
• "You can't support this kind of a move," he added. "I don't care whether you like Jimmy or not. It's about freedom of speech. If ABC wanted to fire Jimmy because they didn't like him, or he had low ratings—they didn't want to fire him. They're being pressured by the United States government. We can't have that, not if we're going to have a democracy."

Stern, who described his relationship with Kimmel as "almost family," also said he was canceling his Disney+ subscription—a move echoed by co-host Robin Quivers, per USA Today. Support for Kimmel has come from all corners of late-night TV, with hosts like Stephen Colbert and Jon Stewart rallying behind him. David Letterman and Jay Leno also criticized ABC's move. Even Sen. Ted Cruz—who is no fan of Kimmel's—condemned the government's involvement, warning it could backfire on conservatives.