Ethan Hawke Brands Jimmy Kimmel a Free-Speech Hero on Second Night Back on Air
Ethan Hawke You're A Hero, Jimmy Kimmel!!!
Jimmy Kimmel’s back and everyone’s cheering -- even a bunch of A-listers signed a letter of support for him after ABC tried to bench him ... and yep, Ethan Hawke’s in the mix too!
Ethan hit the stage during Jimmy’s return this week, calling him a hero and flashing the ACLU-backed letter signed by 400 celebs defending his right to speak.
The actor was all smiles on stage on Kimmel's second night back on the air Wednesday, telling Jimmy man-to-man that signing the letter was one of the greatest privileges of his life.
9/23/25
Check out the clip ... Jimmy joked he couldn’t spot Ethan’s signature ... so Ethan whipped out a giant autograph right on stage, proving he’s Team Jimmy -- and clearly not the only one, ’cause the return episode crushed ratings.
The ratings smash comes just a week after ABC benched Kimmel, bowing to FCC heat over his spicy political digs ... including his take on Charlie Kirk’s suspected killer.