Zohran Mamdani, Democratic candidate for mayor speaks during a press conference celebrating his primary victory with leaders and members of the city’s labor unions on July 2, 2025 in New York.
Angela Weiss | Afp | Getty Images
Zohran Mamdani, the front-runner in the New York City mayor’s race, on Monday said he was dropping out of an upcoming WABC-TV town hall because of the suspension of Jimmy Kimmel’s late-night talk show by ABC under pressure from the Trump administration.
“I am withdrawing from an ABC town hall that was scheduled to take place this Thursday,” Mamdani, the Democratic nominee, said at an event on Roosevelt Island, according to a transcript released by his campaign.
“I am withdrawing not as an indictment of the local affiliate or the hardworking journalists, but rather in response to the corporate leaders who have put their bottom line ahead of their responsibility in upholding the freedom of the press,” Mamdani said.
He blasted WABC’s owner, ABC, whose corporate parent Disney remains mum on the question of when — or if — Kimmel’s show will return after it was yanked under pressure from the Federal Communications Commission because of comments he made about the killing of conservative activist Charlie Kirk.
ABC said last week that the “Jimmy Kimmel Live!’ show is off the air “indefinitely” on the heels of Nexstar Media Group saying that its stations affiliated with ABC would preempt Kimmel’s show “for the foreseeable future” because of the host’s statements tying Kirk’s alleged killer to the MAGA movement.
“We cannot understand this moment of authoritarianism as solely coming from the White House, when it is also characterized by the cowardice of those in response to it — the cowardice that we have seen typified whether by the parent company of ABC or by so-called leaders like Andrew Cuomo and Eric Adams looking to the White House for their path to their future ambition,” Mamdani said.
Cuomo, a former New York governor, and the current New York City Mayor Adams are running as independents against Mamdani.
JIMMY KIMMEL LIVE! “Jimmy Kimmel Live!” airs every weeknight at 11:35 p.m. ET and features a diverse lineup of guests that include celebrities, athletes, musical acts, comedians and human interest subjects, along with comedy bits and a house band. The guests for Monday, June 16 included Steve Martin (“5 Days Out, 2 Days Back”), Zach Cherry (“Severance”), and musical guest Steve Martin with Alison Brown & Tim O’Brien.
Randy Holmes | Disney General Entertainment Content | Getty Images
Meanwhile, a slew of Oscar winners and other Hollywood artists are backing Kimmel in a new letter organized by the American Civil Liberties Union.
“Last week, Jimmy Kimmel was taken off the air after the government threatened a private company with retaliation, marking a dark moment for freedom of speech in our nation,” said the ACLU’s letter, which has more than 400 signatories.
“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. This runs counter to the values our nation was built upon, and our Constitution guarantees,” the letter says.
Stars who signed the letter include Academy Award winners Robert DeNiro, Jane Fonda, Meryl Streep, Frances McDormand.
