TV

Donnell Rawlings is defending Jimmy Kimmel in the face of government sponsored cancel culture ... and he's explaining why comedians should be allowed to speak freely, without fear of losing their jobs.

The veteran standup comic joined us Thursday on "TMZ Live," and we asked him about ABC suspending Kimmel's late-night show indefinitely after outrage over Jimmy's remarks about Charlie Kirk's alleged killer and MAGA.

Donnell says comedians are supposed to make light of tragic events to help Americans cope, and he says what's happening to Kimmel will make comics extra careful about what they say ... which he says is actually bad for the country and comedy.

Late-night TV show fans nationwide were left shocked on September 17 when it was revealed "Jimmy Kimmel Live!" had been indefinitely pulled off the air by ABC.

And it turns out the comedian's suspension was prompted by comments he'd made about Charlie Kirk's murder and MAGA, which Nexstar Media Group -- the company that owns 32 ABC affiliate stations across America -- "strongly" objected to.

We're going to take a look at what kind of reactions -- both positive and negative -- have been shared in the wake of the late-night show host's removal from the air.

Kimmel claimed MAGA-affiliated figures in media and politics were trying to characterize Kirk's alleged murderer "as anything other than one of them" in his opening monologue, according to USA Today.

He then stated the same individuals were doing everything they could in the wake of Kirk's death to "score political points" and quipped the president's reaction to the commentator's murder was similar to "how a 4-year-old mourns a goldfish."

The late-night host said there was "something wrong" with President Donald Trump ... referring to a clip of Trump talking about the progress on the White House's new ballroom when he was asked about how he was doing days after Kirk was shot.

Kimmel wondered whether Trump was focusing on the renovation "so he can be bad about that instead of the Epstein list."

Numerous Hollywood entities and figures spoke out about Kimmel being pulled off the air, including Ben Stiller, Jean Smart, and Wanda Sykes -- who claimed Trump was able to "end freedom of speech within his first year" as opposed to ending the conflicts in Gaza and Ukraine, according to NBC News.

Various unions representing individuals working in the entertainment industry -- including The Writers Guild of America and the Screen Actors Guild–American Federation of Television and Radio Artists -- issued statements of their own to condemn the late-night host's removal.

A group of Democratic congresspeople issued a statement calling for the resignation of FCC Chairman Brendan Carr and claimed he had "disgraced the office he holds" ... on a podcast Wednesday, hours before Kimmel was yanked, Carr seemed to issue a veiled threat to Disney -- ABC's parent company -- about Kimmel's remarks, talking about "the easy way or the hard way."

Former President Barack Obama shared a post on his X account to pronounce the Trump administration had taken cancel culture "to a new and dangerous level" after years of complaining about its effects.

Some of the reactions to Kimmel's removal were positive and celebrated the shift in late-night programming.

Vice President J.D. Vance shared a post on X to jokingly congratulate Secretary of State Marco Rubio on becoming "the new host of ABC’s late night show."

Conservative commentator Benny Johnson -- whose podcast Carr had been -- said Kimmel's removal was part of what he described as "consequence culture" and added he felt "the line was crossed" when he spoke about Kirk's murder.

James Woods has little sympathy for Jimmy Kimmel in the wake of his indefinite suspension from late-night TV ... sending the comedian an expletive-topped message amid the news.

While the rest of Hollywood has rallied around Kimmel following his abrupt departure from television, the veteran actor made it clear he was not upset by ABC's decision ... telling Kimmel to "eat s***" in a note shared on X.

Check it out ... Woods starts off his message feigning empathy, praising Kimmel as a fellow artist and claiming he's "heartbroken" by the way JK's been treated.

11:06 AM PT -- Sources familiar with the situation tell TMZ ... the decision was made last night for Jimmy to bow out of the event.

Jimmy Fallon pulled the plug on his appearance at Fast Company’s Innovation Festival in New York City on Thursday following the news that ABC suspended "Jimmy Kimmel Live!" Wednesday night.

He was scheduled to join the “Staying On Brand” panel, but is "no longer able to attend," according to a memo sent to Adweek. The panel reportedly went forward with marketing executive Bozoma Saint John and Fast Company Senior Staff Editor Jeff Beer as scheduled.

TMZ has reached out to Fast Company and Fallon's team for comment ... so far, no word back.

Barack Obama is coming out swinging in defense of the First Amendment in the wake of Jimmy Kimmel's TV show suspension ... accusing the Trump administration of trying to silence its critics.

After it was revealed Wednesday night Kimmel's show was suddenly and "indefinitely" suspended by ABC following the host's remarks about the late Charlie Kirk and MAGA, the former President took to X to call out the current administration.

Check it out ... he essentially calls Donald Trump a hypocrite, highlighting how 47 has complained about "cancel culture" for years ... only to jump on the cancel bandwagon when JK said something unfavorable about one of his own.

Hollywood is speaking out against ABC's suspension of "Jimmy Kimmel Live!" over host Jimmy Kimmel's comments on the murder of Charlie Kirk.

Ben Stiller was among the first to protest the move by ABC, tweeting "This isn’t right."

His fellow actor Rosie O'Donnell shared a photo of Kimmel on Instagram and went off on Donald Trump's administration. She wrote ... "this is unacceptable - f**k this fascist administration and corrupt corporate executives - bowing to the orange monster - america is no more 🥲."

Jimmy Kimmel is getting out of dodge after he was suspended by ABC — and we captured him bolting to his vehicle!

TMZ shot video of the embattled late-night host rushing into his Chevy Silverado inside a garage Wednesday night in Los Angeles.

Check out the footage ... Jimmy, dressed down in a flannel shirt, jeans, sneakers and a baseball cap, dashes into the backseat of the SUV with the help of his handler.

Hours earlier, ABC announced Jimmy was suspended for comments he made on "Jimmy Kimmel Live" about the murder of Charlie Kirk.

During Monday's show, Jimmy said ... "We hit some new lows over the weekend with the MAGA gang desperately trying to characterize this kid who murdered Charlie Kirk as anything other than one of them and doing everything they can to score political points from it."

Nexstar Media Group — which owns a bunch of ABC affiliates — piled on, saying ... "Nexstar strongly objects to recent comments made by Mr. Kimmel concerning the killing of Charlie Kirk and will replace the show with other programming in its ABC-affiliated markets."

We're told Jimmy was in his TV studio when the bad news broke and he eventually left, ducking into the garage to make his getaway. Guillermo, Jimmy's sidekick, was also there and seen chatting with staffers after ABC's announcement.

5:18 PM PT -- President Trump just reacted to Kimmel being taken off the air ... congratulating ABC "for finally having the courage to do what had to be done."

Trump posted on Truth Social, "Great News for America: The ratings challenged Jimmy Kimmel Show is CANCELLED."

The Prez added ... "Kimmel has ZERO talent, and worse ratings than even Colbert, if that's possible."

Jimmy Kimmel is in timeout with ABC ... the network is suspending him ... and it's all over what he said about the alleged Charlie Kirk killer.

Before ABC announced the move, Nexstar Media Group issued a statement ... "Nexstar strongly objects to recent comments made by Mr. Kimmel concerning the killing of Charlie Kirk and will replace the show with other programming in its ABC-affiliated markets." Nexstar is a media company that owns 32 ABC affiliate stations across the country ... ABC has more than 200 affiliate stations in total in the U.S.

Jimmy Kimmel is in the crosshairs of law enforcement with federal investigators mulling whether to investigate the late-night comedy host for his comments on the Charlie Kirk assassination.

Brendan Carr -- the Federal Communications Commission Chairman -- went on "The Benny Show" podcast Wednesday and said the agency was contemplating launching the probe into Kimmel over his statement that Kirk's alleged killer was a MAGA supporter.

As you know, Tyler Robinson fatally shot Kirk during the Turning Point USA founder's event at Utah Valley University last Wednesday, according to police. State prosecutors charged Robinson with aggravated murder and 6 other felonies and are now seeking the death penalty.

Carr told podcast host Benny Johnson that Kimmel's behavior "appears to be some of the sickest conduct possible." He said the FCC sees certain avenues that can be taken to punish Kimmel -- including a possible suspension for his remark.

With the fourth and final season of "Bel-Air" fast approaching, star Adrian Holmes is looking at the impending end with mixed emotions.

We caught up with the actor --- who plays Uncle Phil on the dramatic revamp of '90s sitcom "The Fresh Prince of Bel-Air" -- at the 7th Annual Kiki Shepard Golf Classic Hosted by Byron Scott in Los Angeles this week, where he told us he was choosing to be grateful after wrapping up production on the Peacock series.

As Adrian put it, 4 seasons was better than having only 3, confirming the team was able to wrap up the series in a satisfying way. He credited the writers on "Bel-Air" for bringing the show to an end in the "best way possible."

"South Park" isn't releasing a new episode tonight in the wake of the Charlie Kirk backlash ... and people are calling BS on the creators' excuse for the delay.

Here's the deal ... the cartoon was absolutely torn apart shortly after Kirk was fatally shot last week ... Trey Parker and Matt Stone were blamed for contributing to dangerous rhetoric after mocking Kirk on the show just weeks earlier. Important to note -- Kirk called it funny and said he was not offended.

In the 11th hour, Comedy Central announced Wednesday there wouldn't be a new episode this week ... 'cause the duo missed the production deadline -- an explanation some social media users called ridiculous.

Hilaria Baldwin is happy to get back to her ballroom roots on "Dancing With the Stars" ... so much so, she practically burst into tears after her big debut.

Check it out ... an emotional Hilaria chokes back tears while celebrating her stellar Cha Cha routine with Gleb Savchenko.

When host Julianne Hough asks Hilaria to explain her teary-eyed reaction, the yoga instructor explains she never thought she'd be here, given she said "goodbye" to ballroom dance 16 years ago after a hip injury.

Cardi B crashed "The Tonight Show Starring Jimmy Fallon" Tuesday night ... just before she revealed her exciting pregnancy news Wednesday morning!

Check out the fun clip ... Cardi hops on FaceTime with Jimmy to promote her new album, cheekily asking if he can see her butt on the cover. When Jimmy says he can "kind of see it," the "Drip" hitmaker tells him he needs to get a better look ... and surprises the audience by walking onto the stage from behind the curtain.

Cardi has been all about promoting her upcoming project -- titled "Am I the Drama?" -- even taking to the streets of NYC to twerk on a car in front of hundreds of cheering fans at a pop-up event over the weekend.

Say goodbye to Cousins Beach because the time has come for the third and final season of 'The Summer I Turned Pretty' to end, and we wanted to commemorate this moment with all the behind-the-scenes fun from the show!

To give you a refresher, the Amazon Prime Video show - based on Jenny Han's novel - involves a love triangle with Belly Conklin, played by Lola Tung, and two brothers, Conrad Fisher, played by Chris Briney, and Jeremiah Fisher, played by Gavin Casalegno.

Yea Rain Spencer and Lola Tung may play on-screen besties, but they still keep up their friendship when the cams aren't rolling, sharing laughs in between scenes.

Longtime "Dancing With the Stars" judge Carrie Ann Inaba will be MIA from tonight's premiere episode ... announcing her decision in a surprising social media update.

Check it out ... the famed choreographer posted on her Instagram ahead of the season 34 premiere on Tuesday, writing she was feeling "quite under the weather" -- and so, had decided to take a pass on filming.

Though fans of 'DWTS' can expect Inaba to return to the ballroom sooner rather than later, as she's currently "resting up" in the hope of appearing on next week's episode.

Damon Dash is back on his own accord and he's looking the part in a fresh-tailored suit, new outlook on business and BRAND NEW TEETH!!!

TMZ Hip Hop caught up with Dame in NYC leaving "The Breakfast Club" in full-blown "Dapper Dan" mode ... he let us in on his plans to develop a TV show to help teach urban youth financial literacy.

The veteran music mogul was backed by his longtime afficionado and Harlem-bred OG, Daniel Dnieko, and they had quite a few choice words for the haters who counted them out ... including Josh Webber.