Hundreds of celebrities are rallying behind Jimmy Kimmel in his standoff with Disney, signing a petition organized by the American Civil Liberties Union.
“We the people must never accept government threats to our freedom of speech,” the letter begins. “Efforts by leaders to pressure artists, journalists, and companies with retaliation for their speech strike at the heart of what it means to live in a free country.”
The ACLU describes Kimmel’s removal following threats of government retaliation as “a dark moment for freedom of speech in our nation.”
“In an attempt to silence its critics, our government has resorted to threatening the livelihoods of journalists, talk show hosts, artists, creatives, and entertainers across the board,” the petition continues. “This runs counter to the values our nation was built upon, and our Constitution guarantees.”
The letter also points to other industries it says are “facing direct attacks on their freedom of expression,” including “teachers, government employees, law firms, researchers, universities, [and] students.”
In the days since Kimmel’s removal, industry labor unions like the WGA, SAG-AFTRA, DGA, PGA, AFM, and IATSE have issued statements and organized protests. Past and present Disney-affiliated talent such as Damon Lindelof and Mark Ruffalo have followed suit, denouncing the company in independent social media posts. But the ACLU’s petition marks the first effort to consolidate such a broad coalition of industry voices in one place.
The roster includes numerous late-night figures standing up for Kimmel, among them Taylor Tomlinson, Michael Kosta, Desi Lydic, Jordan Klepper, Ronny Chieng, Roy Wood Jr., Michael Ian Black, and Chelsea Handler.
Jimmy Kimmel Live! guest hosts Anthony Anderson, Alan Cumming, Diego Luna, and Kumail Nanjiani also signed on.
Several signees have longstanding ties to Disney. Rodrigo got her start on Disney Channel. Miranda has collaborated with the company on Moana, Encanto, Mary Poppins Returns, and the Disney+ release of Hamilton.
Jamie Lee Curtis—star of Disney’s Freakier Friday and FX’s The Bear—added her name, as did The Bear actor Ebon Moss-Bachrach. Selena Gomez, Martin Short, and Meryl Streep, whose series Only Murders in the Building airs on Disney’s Hulu, also signed, along with Mandalorian star Pedro Pascal.
Disney’s Marvel roster was well-represented too, with Ruffalo, Moss-Bachrach, Pascal, Kathryn Hahn, Florence Pugh, Julia Louis-Dreyfus, Alfred Molina, Kerry Washington, Nanjiani, and Natalie Portman all among the signees.
The ACLU’s letter stops short of making specific demands of Disney. Instead, the group plans to deliver the petition to the FCC “to send a message that government officials can never silence us.”
Beyond the celebrity names, the petition has collected more than 14,400 additional public signatures, with a goal of 25,000. The full letter and list of signees can be viewed here.
I don’t understand the problem. I don’t like horror movies so – brilliantly – genius actually – I Just Don’t Watch Them!! DUH!! Late night TV hosts jokes are getting me through the insanity WE are living in! every other President has been joked about, took it in stride and laughed at themselves. real leaders!! God ordained laughing ( a merry heart maketh like medicine ” )dt is fighting against God Almighty Jesus Christ. LET’S see how this works out for him!
Pot. Kettle. Black.
“And ABC, to their credit, didn’t waste any time—they canceled her (Roseanne) show today. I’m not a fan of censorship, but this wasn’t about free speech—it was about consequences for saying something vile. You can say what you want, but networks don’t have to pay you to say it. … Actions have consequences, and ABC made the right call.”
— Jimmy Kimmel, May 29, 2018
The problem with that analogy is that what Kimmel said wasn’t vile.
Amd Mucky Boy here still continues to keep on fucking that chicken! Because it’s the only thing he can fuck,because nobody wants to go near that pathetic loser!