Donald Trump has claimed Jimmy Kimmel’s late-night talk show was pulled off the air because of “bad ratings”.

Kimmel’s programme on US network ABC was axed after he criticised the US president and his allies for their response to the assassination of the right-wing influencer Charlie Kirk.

The decision led to accusations that free speech was under attack in the US, with Democrats including former US president Barack Obama and a number of celebrities sounding an alarm.

Mr Trump said: “Well, Jimmy Kimmel was fired because he had bad ratings, more than anything else.”

“And he said a horrible thing about a great gentleman known as Charlie Kirk.”

Speaking at a news conference alongside Sir Keir Starmer, Mr Trump added: “Jimmy Kimmel is not a talented person. He had very bad ratings, and they should have fired him a long time ago.

“So, you know, you could call that free speech or not. He was fired for lack of talent.”

Aboard Air Force One, Mr Trump said: “When a host is on network television, there is a license. … I think maybe their license should be taken away.”

He said whether ABC’s license could be taken away over Mr Kimmel’s comments “will be up to Brendan Carr”, chairman of the Federal Communications Commission.

The US president also said that Mr Kimmel’s “ratings were worse than cold air. I think they got rid of cold air, which is a good thing to do. Look, that’s something that we should be talking about for licensing, too”.

The latest season of Jimmy Kimmel Live averaged 1.57 million viewers per episode, according to media research firm Nielsen – and the show’s YouTube channel has almost 21 million subscribers.

What did Kimmel say?

Kimmel made the controversial remark on Monday night.

He said: “We hit some new lows over the weekend with the MAGA gang desperately trying to characterise this kid who murdered Charlie Kirk as anything other than one of them and doing everything they can to score political points from it.”

Speaking about Mr Trump, he added: “This is not how an adult grieves the murder of someone he calls a friend. This is how a four-year-old mourns a goldfish.”

“Many in MAGA land are working very hard to capitalise on the murder of Charlie Kirk,” he continued.

Free speech under attack?

Disney-owned ABC then said the show would be taken off air indefinitely, and with immediate effect, after network operator Nexstar – which operates a number of ABC affiliates – said it would stop broadcasting it.

But the move – months after fellow CBS late-night show host Stephen Colbert saw his programme cancelled – sparked concern over the state of freedom of speech in the country.

Former US president Barack Obama wrote on X: “After years of complaining about cancel culture, the current administration has taken it to a new and dangerous level by routinely threatening regulatory action against media companies unless they muzzle or fire reporters and commentators it doesn’t like.

“This is precisely the kind of government coercion that the First Amendment was designed to prevent, and media companies need to start standing up rather than capitulating it.”

A string of high-profile celebrities, including actor Ben Stiller, criticised the decision. Mr Stiller reacted to another post on the news, replying: “This isn’t right.”

Actress Alison Brie said in an Instagram story: “This is unreal. And very scary.”

Actress Jean Smart and comedian Alex Edelman also attacked the move.

The American Federation of Musicians, Directors Guild of America, IATSE and Sag Aftra have also condemned the ABC’s decision in a joint statement.

“The indefinite removal of Jimmy Kimmel Live under government pressure is not an isolated incident. It is part of a disturbing trend of increasing interference in creative expression,” the unions said.

“This kind of political pressure on broadcasters and artists chills free speech and threatens the livelihoods of thousands of working Americans.”

What happened

Kimmel’s comments led to the Trump backer Mr Carr threatening to “take action” against Disney and ABC.

In an interview with conservative podcaster Benny Johnson, he said: “We can do this the easy way or the hard way.”

After the show was pulled, he then praised Nexstar’s broadcasting division, saying “it is important for broadcasters to push back on Disney programming that they determine falls short of community values”.

Kimmel’s suspension has triggered outrage from Democrats like California Governor Gavin Newsom, who posted on X: “The @GOP [Republican Party] does not believe in free speech. They are censoring you in real time.”

Senate minority leader Chuck Schumer called for people “across the political spectrum… to stop what’s happening to Jimmy Kimmel”.

A representative for Kimmel did not immediately respond to a request for comment.

He has not issued any statement since the show’s withdrawal.

Sinclear, the largest ABC affiliate group in the US, has called on Mr Kimmel to “issue a direct apology to the Kirk family” and “make a meaningful personal donation to the Kirk Family and Turning Point USA” in a statement on Thursday.

The company said its ABC stations will air a special in remembrance of Mr Kirk during Jimmy Kimmel Live’s timeslot on Friday.

Both Disney and Nexstar have FCC business ahead of them. Disney is seeking regulatory approval for ESPN’s acquisition of the NFL Network and Nexstar needs the Trump administration go-ahead to complete its $6.2bn purchase of broadcast rival Tegna.

Mr Kirk’s suspected killer, Tyler Robinson, appeared in court for the first time on Tuesday. Prosecutors said he had expressed negative views about Mr Kirk, an influential media figure in the MAGA movement.

Sally Rooney says she could not come to the UK to pick up an award earlier this week because she can “no longer safely enter the UK without facing arrest”.

The Irish author of hit novels including Normal People and Conversations With Friends recently pledged her royalties to proscribed group Palestine Action, meaning she is at risk of committing a terror offence under UK law.

Palestine Action was proscribed as a terrorist organisation in the UK on 5 July.

The 34-year-old had won a Sky Arts Award, in the literature category, for her latest novel, Intermezzo, beating fellow writers Alan Hollinghurst and Gwyneth Lewis.

Rooney’s editor, Alex Bowler, attended the ceremony on Tuesday at London’s Roundhouse on her behalf.

Accepting the award, he read a statement from Rooney, which said: “I’m so touched and grateful to receive this prize.

“I truly loved writing Intermezzo, and it means the world to me to think that it found some small place in the lives of its readers. Thank you.

“I wish that I could be with you this evening to accept the honour in person, but because of my support for non-violent anti-war protest, I’m advised that I can no longer safely enter the UK without potentially facing arrest.

“In that context, I want to thank you all the more warmly for honouring my work tonight and to reiterate my belief in the dignity and beauty of all human life and my solidarity with the people of Palestine.”

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Rooney previously told the Irish Times that if backing the group “makes me a ‘supporter of terror’ under UK law, so be it”.

She has said she will use the proceeds of her work and her public platform to continue her support for Palestine Action and “direct action against genocide in whatever way I can”.

Palestine Action was banned under terrorism legislation in the UK, but not under Irish law.

Rooney currently lives in the west of Ireland.

More than 700 people have been arrested in relation to alleged support of Palestine Action since it was banned – including 522 during a protest in central London on 9 July.

The group was proscribed after the group claimed responsibility for damage to jets at RAF Brize Norton and was also linked to “allegations of a serious assault on staff”.

Earlier this week, a UN Commission report found Israel was committing genocide in Gaza.

Israel’s foreign ministry said it “categorically rejects this distorted and false report” and called for the commission to be abolished.

On Wednesday night, stars including Richard Gere, Florence Pugh, Damon Albarn and Louis Theroux all appeared at the Together for Palestine concert, at Ovo Arena Wembley, which raised £1.5m to support Palestinian humanitarian organisations.

See all the Sky Arts Awards winners here.

A charity event at Wembley Arena has raised £1.5m to support Palestinian-led organisations working on the frontline of the Israel-Hamas war.

Benedict Cumberbatch, Riz Ahmed and Richard Gere were among the stars lending their voice to Together For Palestine on Wednesday, organised by songwriter, artist and activist Brian Eno.

It comes days after a two-year UN investigation found Israel has committed genocide in Gaza, which it denies.

High-profile names from across the globe and spanning the generations were there, with musicians, actors, sportspeople, journalists and poets contributing to the show.

Actress Florence Pugh spoke on stage, telling the crowd: “Silence in the face of such suffering is not neutrality, it is complicity. Empathy should not be this hard and it should have never been this hard”.

Hollywood actor Gere was joined on stage by medics who have served on the ground in Gaza, urging the audience to use their voices by “speaking the truth with generosity and love, that’s how you change things”.

Bridgerton star Nicola Coughlan called on other artists to speak up too, saying: “There are many artists that I love, and I know you love, who have hundreds of millions of followers, and they’re saying nothing.”

Broadcaster Louis Theroux spoke movingly about his time making a documentary in the West Bank, saying the people of Palestine were “subjected to a kind of slow, grinding, relentless violence”.

Music-wise, a live ensemble featuring Damon Albarn, Paul Weller, Adnan Joubran, Hot Chip’s Alexis Taylor and Nadine Shah performed a specially composed musical piece, and Neneh Cherry, Greentea Peng, and Bastille singer Dan Smith united for a rendition of Cherry’s hit song 7 Seconds.

A pre-recorded version of Annie Lennox’s Why was played, with revised lyrics to reflect the horrors of the Israel-Hamas war and there was an exclusive filmed performance by Bristol band Portishead.

From the sports world, football star Eric Cantona called for a global boycott of Israel throughout football, asking clubs to refuse to play Israeli teams, saying: “It’s time for everyone to get off the sidelines, who will follow me?”

Poetry and prose were also read out, and Palestinian art was showcased throughout the concert.

Money raised from the concert – which was arranged just seven weeks ago and saw tickets sell out in hours – will be distributed to Palestinian-led organisations such as Taawon, Palestine Children’s Relief Fund and Palestine Medical Relief Service.

It’s the first large-scale music event to show support for Palestine, following individual shows of solidarity from several artists, some of which have provoked backlash.

Electronic music band Massive Attack projected a Palestinian flag on stage at one of their concerts in Bristol last year.

Kneecap member Liam Og O hAnnaidh, who performs under the name Mo Chara, was charged with supporting a proscribed terror organisation after being accused of displaying a flag in support of Hezbollah at a gig in London in November last year.

In June, punk duo Bob Vylan led chants of “death to the IDF (Israel Defence Forces)” during a set at Glastonbury Festival. The BBC, who livestreamed the set, were forced to apologise, and a police investigation is currently underway.

Health officials in Hamas-run Gaza say nearly 65,000 people have been killed in the two years of the war – a figure that doesn’t differentiate between fighters and civilians.

The war began after the Hamas terror attack on Israel on 7 October 2023, which killed around 1,200 and saw 251 taken hostage. Forty-eight hostages remain in Gaza, but fewer than half are thought to still be alive.