ABC’s suspension of Jimmy Kimmel has triggered a major response across Hollywood.
More than 400 actors, musicians, writers, and directors signed an open letter with the American Civil Liberties Union (ACLU), warning of a “dark moment for freedom of speech.”
Read the full letter below and check out who signed.
Update: ABC has lifted the suspension, and Jimmy Kimmel returns on Tuesday.
Why the Letter Was Written
According to a press released from the ACLU, the letter comes after Federal Communications Commission (FCC) Chairman Brendan Carr threatened broadcast licenses unless ABC took action against Kimmel for comments about President Trump and Charlie Kirk.
“We now find ourselves in a modern McCarthy era, facing exactly the type of heavy-handed government censorship our Constitution rightfully forbids. The silencing of Jimmy Kimmel and jawboning of media outlets through lawsuits and threats to their licenses evoke dark memories of the 1950s,” said Romero. “We must remember, however, that Senator McCarthy was ultimately disgraced and neutralized once Americans mobilized and stood up to him. We must do the same today because, together, our voices are louder and, together, we will fight to be heard.”
High-Profile Support
The list of signatories includes Ben Affleck, Jennifer Aniston, Robert DeNiro, Selena Gomez, Tom Hanks, Ben Stiller, Meryl Streep, and Kerry Washington. Other notable names range from Bryan Cranston and Mark Ruffalo to Florence Pugh, Natalie Portman, and Pedro Pascal.
Signatories stressed that the issue is larger than Hollywood, pointing out that teachers, researchers, students, and journalists also face threats to their speech. The artists say the suspension of Jimmy Kimmel sets a precedent that affects anyone expressing dissent.
Read The Letter
We the people must never accept government threats to our freedom of speech. Efforts by leaders to pressure artists, journalists, and companies with retaliation for their speech strike at the heart of what it means to live in a free country.
Last week, Jimmy Kimmel was taken off the air after the government threatened a private company with retaliation, marking a dark moment for freedom of speech in our nation. In an attempt to silence its critics, our government has resorted to threatening the livelihoods of journalists, talk show hosts, artists, creatives, and entertainers across the board. This runs counter to the values our nation was built upon, and our Constitution guarantees.
We know this moment is bigger than us and our industry. Teachers, government employees, law firms, researchers, universities, students and so many more are also facing direct attacks on their freedom of expression.
Regardless of our political affiliation, or whether we engage in politics or not, we all love our country. We also share the belief that our voices should never be silenced by those in power – because if it happens to one of us, it happens to all of us.
This is the moment to defend free speech across our nation. We encourage all Americans to join us, along with the ACLU, in the fight to defend and preserve our constitutionally protected rights.
In solidarity,
Aasif Mandvi
Abbi Jacobson
Abby McEnany
Adam Chanler-Berat
Adam Goldberg
Adam Horovitz
Adam Scott
Adina Porter
Adrienne Warren
A.J. Shively
Al Yankovic
Alan Cumming
Aldis Hodge
Alex Serino
Alfred Molina
Alia Shawkat
Alison Brie
Allana Harkin
Allie Re
Allison Tolman
Ally Sheedy
Alysia Reiner
Alyssa Milano
Amber Ruffin
Amber Sealey
Amber Tamblyn
America Ferrera
Amy Landecker
Ana Gasteyer
Andrea Savage
Angie Pontani
Anjali Bhimani
Ann Harada
Anna Baryshnikov
Anna Camp
Annabel Oakes
Annette Bening
Annette O’Toole
Annie Murphy
Anthony Anderson
Anthony Jeselnik
Aria Mia Loberti
Arian Moayed
Ariana DeBose
Arlen Escarpeta
Art Linson
Ashlie Atkinson
Ashly Burch
Atsuko Okatsuka
Auli’i Cravalho
Barry Levinson
Ben Platt
Ben Stiller
Benito Skinner
Betty Gilpin
Billy Crystal
Billy Eichner
Bitsie Tulloch
Bob Martin
Bonnie Milligan
Brad Hall
Bradley Bredeweg
Brandon Uranowitz
Bradley Whitford
Brian Newman
Brian Usifer
Briana Evigan
Bridget Everett
Bryan Cranston
Busy Philipps
Camryn Manheim
Carrie Coon
Carrie Preston
Cecily Strong
Celia Keenan-Bolger
Chazz Palminteri
Chelsea Handler
Chelsea Peretti
Cherry Jones
Chris Chalk
Chris Henry Coffey
Christian Borle
Christina Applegate
Christine Baranski
Christine Jones
Christine Lahti
Christine Taylor
Claire Danes
Corey Hawkins
Craig Johnson
Cyndi Lauper
Cynthia Nixon
Dallas Roberts
Dan Gilroy
Danny Burstein
Daphne Rubin-Vega
D’Arcy Carden
Dave Quay
Daveed Diggs
David Alan Basche
David Arquette
David Cross
David Giuntoli
David Harewood
David Rysdahl
Debbie Gibson
Debra Messing
Demián Bichir
Denis O’Hare
Desi Lydic
Diego Luna
Donna Murphy
Ebon Moss-Bachrach
Eden Espinosa
Edie Falco
Edwin Hodge
Eliot Glazer
Elizabeth Banks
Ellen Adair
Ellen Fairey
Emily Hampshire
Emily Spivey
Emily V. Gordon
Emma Geer
Eric Bogosian
Eric Christian Olsen
Eric Newman
Erik Christopher Peterson
Eunice Bae
Ever Carradine
Florence Pugh
Frances Fisher
Frances McDormand
Gabe Liedman
Gabriel Luna
George Takei
Gianmarco Soresi
Gideon Glick
Gina Gershon
Gloria Steinem
Griffin Dunne
Gus Halper
Hank Azaria
Hannah Bos
Harvey Keitel
Holly Robinson Peete
Ike Barinholtz
Ilana Glazer
Irwin Winkler
Isis King
J. Smith Cameron
Jack Gilpin
Jack Schlossberg
Jacqueline Toboni
Jaime King
James Monroe Iglehart
Jamie Lee Curtis
Jane Fonda
Jane Krakowski
Jane Rosenthal
Janet Hubert
Jason Alexander
Jason Bateman & Amanda Anka
Jason George
Jay Gonzalez
Jean Smart
Jeff Hiller
Jen Statsky
Jen Tullock
Jenn Lyon
Jennifer Aniston
Jennifer Ehle
Jennifer Hale
Jennifer Mudge
Jenny Slate
Jeremy Pope
Jesse Peretz
Jesse Tyler Ferguson
Jessy Hodges
Jill Eikenberry
Jill Kargman
Jim Parsons
Jim True-Frost
Joaquin Phoenix
Jodi Balfour
Jodie Sweetin
Joe Keery
Joel Coen
Joel Kim Booster
John Cho
John Ellison Conlee
John Hamburg
Jon Cryer
Jon Huertas
Jonathan Groff
Jonathan Tropper
Jordan Gelber
Jordan Klepper
Jose Llana
Josh Hamilton
Josh Radnor
Josh Singer
Josh Zuckerman
Joshua Jackson
Judd Apatow
Judy Gold
Judy Kuhn
Julia Knitel
Julia Louis-Dreyfus
Julianne Nicholson
Julie Halston
June Squibb
Justin Theroux
Kate Hamill
Katherine LaNasa
Kathleen Chalfant
Kathleen Hanna
Kathryn Erbe
Kathryn Gallagher
Kathryn Grody
Kathryn Hahn
Katie Finneran
Katrina Bowden
Katy O’Brian
Keith Cotton
Keith Powell
Kelley Curran
Kelli O’Hara
Kellie Overbey
Kelly Carlin-McCall
Kelly Jenrette
Kenneth Lonergan
Kerry Washington
Kevin Bacon
Kevin Cahoon
Kirsten Dunst
Kristen Johnston
Kristin Davis
Kristine Nielsen
Kumail Nanjiani
Kyra Sedgwick
Lake Bell
LaToya Tonodeo
Laura Benanti
Laura Dave
Laura Linney
Lee Rose
Lena Dunham
Lennon Parham
Lesli Linka Glatter
Lewis Black
Lilah Richcreek Estrada
Lilly Wachowski
Linda Emond
Linda Powell
Lin-Manuel Miranda
Lisa Guerrero
Lisa Kron
Lucy Freyer
Luis & Luz Miranda
Maddie Corman
Madeline Weinstein
Maggie Gyllenhaal
Maia Mitchell
Malachi Weir
Marc Kudisch
Marcia Cross
Maria Dizzia
Marin Ireland
Marjan Neshat
Mark Duplass
Mark Ruffalo
Martha Plimpton
Martin Short
Mary Beth Barone
Mary Catherine Garrison
Mary Elizabeth Ellis
Mary-Louise Parker
Matt Walsh
Maude Apatow
Max Silvestri
Maya Rudolph
Megan Byrne
Melissa Benoist
Melissa Fumero
Melissa Gilbert
Melissa Villaseñor
Meredith Salenger
Merrin Dungey
Meryl Streep
Michael Cerveris
Michael Ian Black
Michael Keaton
Michael Kosta
Michael McKean
Michael Nouri
Michael Shannon
Michael Sucsy
Michael Tucker
Michaela Watkins
Michelle Visage
Miriam Shor
Miriam Silverman
Misha Collins
Molly Bernard
Molly Gordon
Molly Ringwald
Murray Hill
Naomi Watts & Billy Crudup
Natalie Portman
Nathan Lane
Neal Brennan
Nia DaCosta
Nicole Brydon Bloom
Nicole Eggert
Nicole Maines
Nicolette Robinson
Nimesh Patel
Nnamdi Asomugha
Noah Galvin
Noah Wyle
Olivia Rodrigo
Olli Haaskivi
Orfeh
Padma Lakshmi
Paige Hurd
Pamela Adlon
Parker Posey
Patricia Clarkson
Patton Oswalt
Paul Feig
Paul McCrane
Paul Scheer
Paul Thureen
Paul W. Downs & Lucia Aniello
Pauline Chalamet
Pedro Pascal
Pete Holmes
Peter Friedman
Peter Gallagher
Piper Perabo
Punkie Johnson
Rachel Bloom
Rachel Dratch
Rachel Morrison
Rafael Casal
Rainn Wilson
Ramy Youssef
Raoul Peck
Regina Hall
Regina King
Retta
Richard Kind
Richard Schiff
Rick Barrio Dill
Rita Wilson
Rob Delaney
Rob Morrow
Robert DeNiro
Robert Horn
Roma Maffia
Ronny Chieng
Rooney Mara
Rosario Dawson
Rosemary Harris
Rosie O’Donnell
Roy Wood Jr.
Rufus Wainwright
Ruth Negga
Rutina Wesley
Sally Kohn
Sam Means
Sam Morril
Sam Pinkleton
Sam Richardson
Sandy Rustin
Sarah Adina Smith
Sarah Killough
Sarah Paulson
Sarah Ramos
Sarah Sophie Flicker
Sarah Steele
Sasheer Zamata
Scott Ellis
Scott Silver
Selena Gomez
Sharon Horgan
Sharon Stone
Shawn Hatosy
Sherri Saum
Sheryl Crow
Shoshana Bean
Skye P. Marshall
Sofia Black-D’Elia
Spencer Garrett
Stephen Kay
Stephen Spinella
T.R. Knight
Tala Ashe
Taylor Schilling
Taylor Tomlinson
Terry Kinney
Tessa Thompson
Tig Notaro
Tim Bagley
Tim Matheson
Timothy Olyphant
Tom Bergeron
Tom Hanks
Tom Morello
Tony Gilroy
Tony Goldwyn
Tonya Pinkins
Troian Bellisario
Tzi Ma
Uzo Aduba
Veanne Cox
Vince Nappo
W. Kamau Bell
Wallace Shawn
Warren Adams
Wil Wheaton
Will Harrison
Wilson Cruz
Yasmeen Fletcher
Yvette Nicole Brown
Zazie Beetz
Zoë Chao
Zoë Winters
Zooey Deschanel
Zosia Mamet
