NYC mayoral candidate cancels ABC town hall over Jimmy Kimmel suspension

Zohran Mamdani, the Democratic nominee for New York City mayor, has canceled an upcoming town hall event with WABC News in protest of the network's indefinite suspension of Jimmy Kimmel's late-night talk show.

22 sept 2025 - 17:45 • 3 min read

Zohran Mamdani, the Democratic nominee for mayor of New York City, announced Monday that he is canceling a planned town hall with WABC News in protest of the network's decision to indefinitely suspend comedian Jimmy Kimmel's late-night talk show.

Mamdani stated that the suspension, which came after Kimmel made comments about the killing of conservative activist Charlie Kirk, represents an attack on freedom of speech and expression. He made the announcement during remarks at Franklin D. Roosevelt Four Freedoms State Park on Roosevelt Island.

"The message that it sends to each and every American across this country is a message that the First Amendment is no longer a right that can be counted on, but rather that it is government which will determine what should and should not be discussed, what can and cannot be spoken," Mamdani said.

Kimmel's show was pulled off the air after President Trump's administration reportedly threatened to punish ABC. Federal Communications Commission Chairman Brendan Carr had suggested his agency could take action against ABC over Kimmel's comments, leading Nexstar Media Group, which owns 32 ABC affiliates, to announce it would stop airing Kimmel's show. ABC and its parent company, Disney, subsequently suspended the program indefinitely.

Mamdani emphasized that his decision was not an indictment of ABC News journalists but rather of the network's corporate leadership, whom he accused of prioritizing their bottom line over upholding press freedom.

"I am withdrawing… in response to the corporate leaders who have put their bottom line ahead of their responsibility in upholding the freedom of the press," Mamdani stated.

He also highlighted the potential economic impact on the show's production staff, including engineers, writers, and musicians, whose livelihoods could be affected.

Charlie Kirk was fatally shot on September 10. Police have charged Tyler Robinson, 22, with aggravated murder, citing text messages in which Robinson allegedly stated he had "had enough of his hatred." Kirk's comments regarding immigrants, Jewish people, the LGBTQ community, and Black people were widely characterized as hate speech.

During his monologue on September 14, Kimmel commented on the killing, saying that Trump's "MAGA gang" supporters were "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." Conservative activists have organized around Kirk's death, and Trump and others have sought to silence political opponents they feel have spoken disrespectfully about him.

Mamdani, who has made affordability a key issue in his mayoral campaign, also linked the suspension of Kimmel's show to its impact on workers' ability to afford living in New York City.

The Democratic nominee said he plans to hold another town hall event to engage directly with the public and continue working with journalists from ABC-affiliated stations.