(AURN News) — Hundreds of Hollywood and Broadway stars — from Robert De Niro to Jennifer Aniston, Tom Hanks and Kerry Washington — have signed a bold open letter defending free speech. The spark was ABC’s suspension of late-night host Jimmy Kimmel after his controversial comments about the assassination of conservative activist Charlie Kirk.
The American Civil Liberties Union, which organized the letter, called the suspension “a dark moment for freedom of speech in our nation.” The letter warned that “if it happens to one of us, it happens to all of us,” urging Americans to stand together in defending free expression.
The backlash is spreading. On ABC’s “The View,” Whoopi Goldberg declared, “No one silences us.”
New York City mayoral candidate Zohran Mamdani even pulled out of an ABC affiliate town hall in protest.
Kimmel himself has not spoken publicly, but with Hollywood’s biggest names lining up, the fight over free expression shows no signs of cooling off.
Click play to listen to the report from AURN White House Correspondent Ebony McMorris. For more news, follow @E_N_McMorris & @aurnonline.
