Bill Maher Defends Jimmy Kimmel, Criticizes ABC’s Response to FCC Complaint
LOS ANGELES, CA – September 20, 2025 – bill Maher used his HBO monologue Friday night to voice staunch support for Jimmy Kimmel amid controversy surrounding a complaint filed with the federal Communications Commission (FCC) regarding Kimmel’s on-air commentary. Maher sharply criticized what he characterized as corporate capitulation and hypocrisy,specifically targeting ABC for its handling of the situation.
The dispute stems from a complaint filed by conservative media figure Brendan Carr, alleging that Kimmel violated the FCC’s equal time rule with critical remarks about Donald Trump. Carr has threatened regulatory scrutiny of the View for allegedly ignoring the controversy. This incident has ignited a debate about broadcast standards, political pressure on late-night hosts, and the potential chilling effect on free speech. The outcome could set a precedent for how the FCC responds to similar complaints in the future, impacting the landscape of political commentary on television.
Maher opened his monologue by calling the “intimidation on the right” “so hypocritical,” and leveled jokes at ABC, suggesting Good Morning America should rebrand to acknowledge viewers who didn’t vote for Trump and envisioning Rudy Giuliani as the next Golden bachelor. He also quipped that even Wolf Blitzer would be reporting from “The Capitulation Room” on CNN.
He further criticized The View hosts for remaining silent on Kimmel’s situation, stating, “you know, ’cause it’s never been their thing to weigh in on the issues … it’s just an upbeat party show – that’s why they hired people named Joy [Behar] and Sunny [Hostin] and whoopi [Goldberg].”
While acknowledging he didn’t entirely agree with Kimmel’s original comments, Maher insisted Kimmel “doesn’t deserve to lose his job over it.” He dismissed attempts to politicize the recent shooting involving alleged assailant Tyler Robinson, who is accused of targeting conservative commentator Charlie Kirk, stating, “This kid is in his basement with VR goggles on, getting virtually ass-f-ed by a cartoon wombat[viathegame[viathegame[viathegame[viathegameFurry Shades of Gay 3: Still gayer]and you’re gonna put politics into this? This kid doesn’t belong in either party, he belongs in a straitjacket.”
Concluding his segment, Maher directly addressed kimmel, saying, “Pal, you did a great, funny show for two decades; you should be proud of that.If this firing goes for you the way it did for me, you’ll get 23 years on a better network.”
