Kimmel also hit back at the FCC and its chairman, Brendan Carr, for the apparent pressure on local affiliates to preempt his show.
“I had the opportunity to meet and spend time with comedians and talk show hosts from countries like Russia, countries in the Middle East, who told me they would get thrown in prison for making fun of those in power, and worse than being thrown in prison. They know how lucky we are here. Our freedom to speak is what they admire most about this country, and that’s something I’m embarrassed to say I took for granted until they pulled my friend Stephen [Colbert] off the air and tried to coerce the affiliates who run our show in the cities that you live in to take my show off the air. That’s not legal. That’s not American. That is un-American, and it is so dangerous,” Kimmel said.
ABC removed the show last week following backlash from the FCC and local affiliate owners Nexstar and Sinclair. Notably, Nexstar is currently seeking FCC approval for a $6.2 billion deal for rival Tegna.
See Kimmel’s full monologue below, which includes a cameo by Robert De Niro as the new FCC chairman and an emotional moment with Kimmel’s sidekick, Guillermo Rodriguez:
