The View co-hosts break silence on Jimmy Kimmel suspension

The View co-hosts broke their silence Monday on Jimmy Kimmel's suspension, telling viewers that 'No one silences us' as they opened the show with a direct address to the controversy. Whoopi Goldberg highlighted that the panel would not stay quiet about the decision that has roiled daytime television, noting that Kimmel has been off the air since Sept. 18 and that ABC has not announced when he will return. "Did y’all really think we weren’t going to talk about Jimmy Kimmel? I mean, have you watched the show over the last 29 seasons?" Goldberg said. "No one silences us."

The remarks came as fans and colleagues watched to see whether Kimmel would address the controversy first, and as questions swirled about government influence on broadcast decisions. The host and her co-stars did not address the suspension in earlier episodes, but Monday’s show directly confronted the dispute as part of a broader defense of free speech. Kimmel has remained off the air since Sept. 18, and ABC has not announced when or if his program will return.

Ana Navarro said she could not fathom how the First Amendment was being undermined, and she cited concerns that the government could use its weight to bully speakers into silence, saying, "how the government itself is using its weight and power to bully and scare people into silence." Fellow co-host Alyssa Farah Griffin added that "The First Amendment is the first for a reason because you need to be able to hold those in power accountable." Goldberg echoed the sentiment, saying the co-hosts "fight for everybody’s right to have freedom of speech." The remarks followed days of speculation that ABC had ordered the daytime hosts to remain quiet. Fans had noted the topic was avoided on two episodes after Kimmel’s suspension was announced Sept. 18. ABC had previously declined to address the suspension on air, a stance that continued in the days that followed. The discussion also touched on broader regulatory questions: FCC Chairman Brendan Carr floated the idea that the commission should review whether The View qualifies as a bona fide news program exempt from certain FCC rules, signaling the ongoing debate over what constitutes news programming.

The View’s remarks came amid a flood of reactions from across the entertainment world. Stephen Colbert called the suspension "blatant censorship" intended to appease the Trump administration. Jimmy Fallon said he wanted Kimmel back and vowed to keep mocking Trump even if it risked censorship. David Letterman labeled the move "managed media" and "ridiculous," suggesting Kimmel was being punished to appease an authoritarian administration in the Oval Office. Howard Stern told listeners he canceled his Disney+ subscription in protest. White House spokesperson Steven Cheung condemned Kimmel and The View, telling The Post that Kimmel was "a no-talent loser" and that Disney had driven Kimmel off the air to placate the administration, while also deriding The View as devoid of talent. He reportedly added that the network kicked him to the curb like a used empty beer can and called the show a collection of irrelevant has-beens and never-beens.

ABC declined to comment on the ongoing dispute last week, and The Post said it had sought comment from Disney, the FCC and the White House. The network has not provided a timeline for Kimmel’s return, and there is no official word on when or if the late-night host will come back to air. The episode underscores ongoing tensions in media and politics, even as the broader Entertainment culture landscape continues to grapple with questions about press freedom, journalistic independence and the boundaries of government involvement in entertainment.

Protesters outside an ABC affiliate's offices in Seattle gathered on Sept. 20 to call for Disney to respond to the Kimmel suspension, illustrating how rapidly the conversation has spread beyond late-night into public demonstrations.