Pritzker Calls For ABC, WGN Boycott After Kimmel Is Suspended: 'Free Speech Is At Stake'

CHICAGO — Gov. JB Pritzker reacted quickly to Wednesday’s announcement that ABC was “indefinitely” pre-empting late night comedian Jimmy Kimmel's show because of a comment he made about conservative activist Charlie Kirk’s assassination. Pritzker is now calling for a boycott of ABC and it’s affiliates, as well as the Nexstar Media Group-owned WGN.

“Jimmy Kimmel Live!” was pulled by Walt Disney Co. and its network ABC following threats by Federal Communications Commission Chair Brendan Carr that the FCC would take action against the network and stations that carried the show, following backlash against Kimmel for his comments last week about Kirk.

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During an appearance Wednesday on MSNBC’s “The Briefing with Jen Psaki,” following the announcement of Kimmel’s removal, Pritzker called it intimidation of companies and corporations, particularly the targeting of individuals like Kimmel and Stephen Colbert, whose show was also recently cancelled, by the federal government.

“I do not understand why people are not standing up and pushing back when they ought to, because what’s at stake here is free speech, it’s our Constitution and our way of life. Do we really want the president of the United States intimidating people, organizations to get others fired?” Pritzker asked.

“And so we only have one other thing to do, which is public action, people actually speaking up, speaking out, boycotting, showing up and protesting, and their representatives who agree with them doing the very same,” the governor added.

Before his appearance, moments after Kimmel’s removal was announced, Pritzker said on X, “An attack on the First Amendment of this magnitude is a five alarm fire and we should all be treating it as such. What’s clear here is that Nexstar and Sinclair are capitulating to the president so he approves their mergers. Everything should be on the table.”

The governor stated that journalists who work with the affiliates in question would not be punished or denied access.

“The governor is calling for people to write letters, write emails, post online, speak up, and protest,” his campaign said. “Not for the punishment of local journalists for corporate machinations.”

During his monologue on Monday, Kimmel said, “We hit some new lows over the weekend with the MAGA gang desperately trying to characterize this kid who murdered Charlie Kirk as anything other than one of them and doing everything they can to score political points from it.

"In between the finger pointing, there was, uh, grieving — on Friday, the White House flew the flags at half-staff, which got some criticism, but on a human level you can see how hard the president is taking this,” Kimmel said, before cutting to a clip in which President Donald Trump responded to reporters asking about how he was doing by pointing to construction at the White House.