ABC pulled Jimmy Kimmel Live! off the air last Wednesday and there have been no updates on the show’s future since, but it has remained the top story in Hollywood for days. What we’ve been watching for is whether or not it would stay that way. With social media and so many distractions, headlines come and go, if they land at all, and it’s not uncommon to see a story pop, dominate the ecosystem, and then fizzle just as quickly, especially after a weekend. 

 

The weekend came and went, a new week has started, and the Jimmy Kimmel situation is still at the forefront – in part because of his peers. When famous people do something, the media pays attention, generating new headlines and fueling the story. 

 

We have three examples of this today, let’s get to them in chronological order. First, at the premiere of the documentary Lilith Fair: Building a Mystery in LA last night, Sarah McLachlan confirmed a performance was initially planned that would include some of the Lilith artists featured in the film and also, reportedly, a surprise appearance by Olivia Rodrigo, but that they all agreed to cancel in solidarity for free speech. 

 

Then today on The View – up to this morning, the hosts had yet to discuss Jimmy’s suspension, unusual because they criticise the Trump administration all the time and political debates are heavily featured during the hot topics segments on the show. There was some speculation that The View was muzzled, since they too air on ABC. Today they explained why they hadn’t talked about it yet: because they were waiting for Jimmy to comment and also Friday’s episode was pre-taped. 

But this has ended up being advantageous because The View’s thoughts on Jimmy Kimmel is now the top story pretty much across entertainment outlets and beyond, so momentum for the story coming out the weekend has not waned. 

 

At the same time, an open letter by the ACLU supporting free speech and calling out the decision to pull Jimmy off the air has been signed by 400 high-profile celebrities, like Jennifer Aniston, Ben Affleck, Robert De Niro, Meryl Streep and so many more. Whether or not that affects the outcome of Jimmy’s situation is unknown but it does advance the story, keeping it at the top of the search. And, right now, that’s the point. With a news cycle that is moving at an exhausting pace and an administration so skilled in flooding the zone and overwhelming people, those in support of Jimmy and, more importantly, sounding the free speech alarm, need to make sure this continues to be top of mind. As the week goes on, it’ll be interesting to see how they can sustain it. 

Photo credits: David Becker/ ZUMA Press Wire/ Shutterstock

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