Actor Mark Ruffalo furiously accused the Trump administration of attacking free speech after Jimmy Kimmel’s late-night talk show was yanked off the air.
During a passionate video call for the No Kings protest group, Ruffalo called for action after ABC suspended Jimmy Kimmel Live! under pressure from the administration and claimed Trump’s plan to designate the antifa movement a terrorist organization comes because “they don’t want you fighting against fascism.”
“We saw Jimmy Kimmel’s show was canceled. We don’t know what the reasons are really, it’s very cloudy and murky,” the Marvel star said. “I don’t understand what’s happening right now. My industry doesn’t understand what’s happening right now. But what they do understand is our freedom of speech is being attacked.”
“This cancellation is the United States government coming and taking your voice away from you. It is the United States government that is now suppressing the freedom of speech,” Ruffalo said.
“And that’s where we all have to come together, because authoritarian regimes, fascist regimes, have to degrade our freedoms more and more over time—until we’re living the smallest, the most frightened, the most secretive lives,” he added.
ABC made the shock decision to “indefinitely” cut Jimmy Kimmel Live! after the host faced right-wing backlash for his remarks in the wake of the killing of conservative activist Charlie Kirk.
During Monday’s show, Kimmel suggested MAGA figures had been “desperately” trying to paint the suspect as “anything other than one of them” and accused them of doing “everything they can to score political points” from the shooting.
Kimmel also mocked Trump’s response two days after the death of his friend Kirk. When asked by a reporter how he was “holding up,” Trump quickly pivoted to brag about the construction of his new $200 million ballroom at the White House.
“He’s at the fourth stage of grief: construction,” Kimmel joked.
One of those angered by Kimmel’s comments was Trump’s Federal Communications Commissioner Brendan Carr, who warned the FCC would “take action” against ABC and its parent company Disney unless Kimmel was punished.
Nexstar, which owns ABC affiliate stations across the U.S., then pulled Jimmy Kimmel Live! from its lineup. The move came as Nexstar is pursuing a $6.2 billion acquisition of media company Tegna, a deal that requires FCC approval.
Senior ABC executives initially rallied around Kimmel, arguing that he “had not actually said anything over the line,” but ultimately canceled the show over fears of retaliation from Trump, according to Rolling Stone.
During the No Kings video call, Ruffalo claimed that things could yet get worse for free speech in the U.S.
“Think of yourselves living under the Taliban, because that’s where we’re headed,” Ruffalo said.
The Daily Beast has contacted the White House for comment.
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