Tom Hanks and Jennifer Aniston are among 400 celebrities who have signed a letter protesting ABC’s decision to pull Jimmy Kimmel off the air last week.
The letter, organized by the American Civil Liberties Union, was also signed by Jason Bateman, Martin Short, Jamie Lee Curtis, and Meryl Streep.
The letter says that the Trump administration’s pressuring of artists, journalists, and others with retaliation for their speech “strike at the heart of what it means to live in a free country,” Variety reports.
“We now find ourselves in a modern McCarthy era, facing exactly the type of heavy-handed government censorship our Constitution rightfully forbids. The silencing of Jimmy Kimmel and jawboning of media outlets through lawsuits and threats to their licenses evokes dark memories of the 1950s,” said Anthony D. Romero, executive director of the American Civil Liberties Union, in a statement.
He continued, “We must remember, however, that Senator McCarthy was ultimately disgraced and neutralized once Americans mobilized and stood up to him. We must do the same today because, together, our voices are louder and, together, we will fight to be heard.”
Other celebs who signed the letter include Natalie Portman, Ariana DeBose, Jane Fonda, Maggie Gyllenhaal, Julia Louis-Dreyfus, Regina King, and Diego Luna.
News of the protest comes the morning after Sarah McLachlan and Jewel announced they were pulling out of performing at the launch of a new Disney documentary, also in protest of the corporation’s decision to muzzle Kimmel.
“I know you’re expecting a performance tonight, and I’m so grateful to all of you for coming, and I apologize if this is disappointing, but we have collectively decided not to perform but instead to stand in solidarity in support of free speech,” McLachlan told the crowd, according to The Hollywood Reporter.
There do not appear to be any shocking signees of the ACLU letter. Hanks, Aniston and others on the list have spoken out against the Trump administration previously.
Still, the protest is sure to increase pressure on Disney. Its decision came on the heels of pressure from the Trump-appointed FCC Chair Brendan Carr and has been condemned by giants in the entertainment industry.
The saga began with Kimmel speculating a week ago that the man accused of assassinating Charlie Kirk may be aligned with MAGA. Right-wing backlash ensued, and Puck reported Thursday that ABC suspended Kimmel after he “refused to tone down a planned response to the backlash.”
Kimmel met with a top Disney executive on Thursday in Los Angeles. Insiders have described the meeting as being “cordial,” but it ended without a resolution.
