Mamdani to scrap ABC NYC mayor town hall over Jimmy Kimmel suspension: report
New York City mayoral candidate Zohran Mamdani (D) will reportedly cancel a town hall with an ABC affiliate to protest the suspension of late-night host Jimmy Kimmel.
Mamdani's campaign told amNewYork that the candidate would announce the cancellation on Monday. ABC suspended Kimmel after the murder of MAGA influencer Charlie Kirk. The move sparked outrage from critics who claimed ABC and its parent company, Disney, were bowing to pressure from President Donald Trump to silence the late-night host.
"We simply cannot accept any capitulation to Donald Trump's attacks on our fundamental freedoms," Mamdani said, according to the report. "Now is the time for leadership that fights back with action, and collectively, we must use every tool at our disposal to send a message to Washington and corporate powers alike: our freedom to speech is not a bargaining chip."
Mamdani, the frontrunner in the mayoral race, was expected to say he was canceling the town hall with ABC to fight back against censorship from President Donald Trump's administration.
"He will also highlight the potential impacts on the show's production staff — including sound engineers, musicians, writers, and stage workers — who could lose their jobs if it is permanently cancelled. 'Jimmy Kimmel Live' films in Los Angeles," amNewYork reported.