The View weighs in on Jimmy Kimmel Live! suspension, vows no one silences the show

The View on Monday addressed the suspension of Jimmy Kimmel Live! after ABC pulled the late-night program indefinitely following controversial remarks about Charlie Kirk. Whoopi Goldberg opened the show with a forceful reminder that the panel does not stay quiet on major moments, saying, “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? So you know, no one silences us.” Co-hosts Ana Navarro, Alyssa Farah Griffin, Sara Haines, and Sunny Hostin joined in as they framed the moment in terms of free speech and accountability. The panel noted that The View had faced backlash for not mentioning the suspension during two episodes last week, marking the first on-air discussion since the decision.

Goldberg said the panel waited to see whether Kimmel would address the suspension on his own before The View weighed in. “When the news broke last week about Jimmy Kimmel's suspension, we took a breath to see if Jimmy was going to say anything about it first,” she said. “We did the same thing with Stephen Colbert. Then our show was on tape on Friday, but we are live here today and we're getting into it now.” She added: “To be clear, you cannot like a show and it can go off the air, someone can say something they shouldn't and get taken off the air, but the government cannot apply pressure to force someone to be silenced.”

Navarro pressed the First Amendment argument, saying, “The First Amendment was made to the Constitution to guarantee freedom of the press and freedom of speech, how the government itself is using its weight and power to bully and scare people into silence.” Griffin followed, saying, “We talk about freedom of speech a lot because we are always in somebody's mess because somebody has decided that we have said something that's offensive.”

Fans on X, formerly Twitter, responded to the moment with mixed but largely approving reactions, noting the show had taken a week to address the topic. One post read, “It only took a week…” another said, “They FINALLY mention Jimmy Kimmel!” and a third added, “Took you long enough but you got there! Finally took on Jimmy Kimmel's firing.”

The discussion framed the suspension as part of a broader debate over press freedom and government pressure. The context for Kimmel's removal traces to a Sept. 15 monologue in which he mocked Charlie Kirk and his followers, describing their response to the crime as an attempt to shape the narrative. He also commented on President Donald Trump’s reaction to the shooting, saying, “This is not how an adult grieves the murder of someone he calls a friend. This is how a four-year-old mourns a goldfish.” Kimmel has not publicly addressed the suspension.

Viewers had criticized The View for not addressing the network’s decision on Thursday and Friday of the previous week, with Friday’s episode noted as pre-recorded. The episode on Sept. 18 highlighted other topics, including the Epstein documents and statements from ousted CDC Director Susan Monarez about RFK Jr., rather than the Kimmel matter. The program’s approach to the topic on Monday followed a period of silence as ABC weighed its options for the late-night slot, a tempo that drew commentary from fans and critics alike.

Kimmel's suspension came after the network opted to pull his show from the air indefinitely following his remarks about Charlie Kirk’s alleged actions and the aftermath of a fatal incident. While Kimmel has yet to comment publicly, The View’s Monday march toward the subject signaled a broader conversation about accountability, free speech, and how networks respond when on-air commentary crosses critical lines. Sunday and Monday developments in late-night programming have kept audiences watching for additional updates from ABC and the show’s team, with viewers looking for clarity on when or if Kimmel will return to the air.