Hollywood star Pedro Pascal has jumped to Jimmy Kimmel’s defence despite his association with Disney.
Pascal, who stars in Disney’s The Mandalorian, said he was standing with Kimmel, writing on Instagram: “Defend free speech.”
The actor also shared a photo of himself alongside Kimmel.
US network ABC, which is owned by Disney, revealed earlier this week that Jimmy Kimmel Live! would no longer be broadcast after the host made controversial implications about the identity of Tyler Robinson, the suspected gunman behind the killing of conservative activist Charlie Kirk.
Next year, Pascal will star in The Mandalorian & Grogu, a film continuation of the Star Wars series set to be released in 2026, and Marvel film Avengers: Doomsday, in which he’ll reprise his Fantastic Four character.
Meanwhile, Tatiana Maslany, the star of Disney+’s She-Hulk: Attorney at Law,led calls to cancel Disney+ subscriptions in the wake of Kimmel’s indefinite suspension. Marisa Tomei, who played Aunt May in the MCU, also supported the notion,
Damon Lindelof, whose hit series Lost aired on ABC and is available to stream on Disney+, shared plans to boycott the company.
The TV showrunner behind The Leftovers and Watchmen called Kimmel “empathetic and grateful”, adding: “I was shocked, saddened and infuriated by yesterday’s suspension and look forward to it being lifted soon. If it isn’t, I can’t in good conscience work for the company that imposed it.”
Many more celebrities, including Ben Stiller, Wanda Sykes and Kathy Griffin, have spoken out against the decision.
The comment that got Kimmel in hot water featured in Monday’s episode (14 September), when he said: “We had some new lows over the weekend with the Maga gang desperately trying to characterise this kid who murdered Charlie Kirk as anything other than one of them and with everything they can to score political points from it.”
Trump reacted positively to news of Kimmel’s indefinite axing, posting on Truth Social during his state trip to London: “Great News for America: The ratings challenged Jimmy Kimmel Show is CANCELLED.”
The announcement from ABC came soon after Nexstar Media Group, the largest owner of television stations across the country, said it would no longer air Kimmel’s show.
Nexstar owns America’s largest local broadcasting group, made up of top network affiliates, with more than 200 owned or partner stations in 116 US markets reaching 220 million people.
Hours before the decision was made public, the Trump-appointed chair of the Federal Communications Commission, Brendan Carr, called Kimmel’s words “truly sick”.
Carr went on to say that his agency could hold ABC, Disney, and Kimmel accountable for the comments. He said the comic appeared to be making an intentional effort to mislead the public into believing that Kirk’s assassin was a Trump supporter.
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