Jimmy Kimmel Suspension 'Sell[s] Out Free Speech' Say Hoboken Mayor And Assembly Candidates

HUDSON COUNTY, NJ – After comedian Jimmy Kimmel made reference to the suspect in the Charlie Kirk shooting in his monologue on Monday night, Disney’s ABC suspended the show indefinitely. A number of local political officials have publicly blasted the move as chilling free speech, including local Mayor Ravi Bhalla and Assembly candidate Katie Brennan.

The pair put out a joint statement Thursday saying that perhaps the state shouldn't be giving tax breaks to stations that take such actions.

"This is no laughing matter. It’s flat out un-American and we have a responsibility to do something about it," Brennan said.

The ABC suspension came after Federal Communications Commission Chair Brendan Carr criticized the comments and said, "These companies can find ways to take action on Kimmel, or there is going to be additional work for the FCC ahead.”

Media sources reported that ABC is under pressure from Nexstar, a company that owns many ABC affiliates and needs FCC approval to buy another broadcasting company.

Nexstar called Kimmel's comments "offensive and insensitive" in a statement released Wednesday.

Can Come Back

However, Sinclair, a company that owns many ABC affiliates, said Kimmel can come back if he makes a donation to Kirk's family and to his nonprofit. News outlets reported that Kirk was worth $12 million and that more than $5 million more has been raised to help his family after the loss.

Kimmel said in the monologue, "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 grieving..." (The comments start at 2:02)

Brennan and Bhalla are the Democratic nominees for State Assembly in November, running against Republicans Stephen Bishop and Kaushal Patel.

Brennan and Ravi Bhalla said in a release that "the state should cancel film and TV tax credits to networks that censor critics of the Trump administration."

Brennan said, “If these companies are going to sell out free speech to protect their bottom line, we shouldn’t be rewarding them with millions of dollars in tax breaks. We can’t normalize anti-democratic behavior like this. It’s disqualifying for everyone involved.”

“Free speech is the foundation of our democracy. Censoring comedians is what happens in dictatorships,” said Bhalla. “These networks have a choice, and they’re choosing to bend the knee."

New Jersey has rapidly expanded its film tax credit program in recent years, with a total annual budget of $800 million, the pair said.

“It’s not enough to say this isn’t okay. We need to back it up with action,” said Bhalla.

Carr was quoted this week as saying "We're not done yet," hinting that other shows might wind up on the chopping block, according to media reports.

Brennan and Bhalla ran independently from the county Democratic Organization in June and won a six-way Democratic primary to appear on the Nov. 4 ballot.

Across Political Spectrum

President Donald Trump praised the suspension on Thursday, while past President Barack Obama condemned it.

Late-night host Stephen Colbert addressed the matter Thursday night on his show, which is ending next year, saying the recent events are "blatant censorship, and it always starts small."

Bergen County Rep. Josh Gottheimer, who once worked for the FCC, blasted ABC's move and encouraged all sides to get past divisive rhetoric. See his comments here.