Late Late Show host โPatrick Kielty โคExtends Support โขto Jimmy Kimmel, Highlighting Irish Free Speech Tradition
DUBLIN, Ireland – โPatrick Kielty, host of RTร’s The Lateโฃ late Show, publicly extended a message of โขsupport to Jimmy Kimmel following his recent suspension from ABC, declaring “this is Ireland,โ so we can promise โyou can say whatever the f**kโค you want.” The statement, delivered during โaโข broadcast from Studio 4 in Dublin, underscored a commitment โขto โfree speech and offered kimmel resources should he need them.
Kielty’s remarks โcome amid heightened scrutiny of late-night television โhosts โand the boundaries of acceptable commentary. โKimmel’s suspension followsโ the cancellation of Stephen Colbert‘s The Late Show โjust two weeks after โParamount, CBS’s parent company, reportedly paid former โฃPresident Donald Trump a โ$16 million (โฌ13.6 million) settlement to resolve a defamation lawsuit.โฃ The incidents have sparked debate aboutโข censorship and the influence โof legal pressure onโ comedic expression.
“Hey Jimmy, it’s Patrick Kielty saying a big hello fromโข studio 4 of RTร here in Dublin, Ireland, home to the Late late Show for over 60โ years,” Kielty โฃbegan.Heโค continued, noting the show’s history of resisting โattemptsโ to be taken off the air, โฃadding, “Tonight we’reโค extending the hand of free โspeech and friendship to let you know thatโฃ you’re always welcome here. So if you ever need aโ studio or a desk orโ an audience or โขa band, we’re here for you.”
Kielty’s concluding statement, met withโฃ enthusiastic applause from the audience, directly addressed Kimmel,โข emphasizing ireland’sโ traditionally permissive approach to speech.The gesture positions The โLate Late Show โขas โขa haven for unfiltered expression, especially in a climate where US-based โคlate-night programs face increasing constraints.
Colbert himself described Kimmel’s suspension as a “blatant assault on freedom of speech,” while fellowโข late-night โhost Sethโ Meyersโฃ called Kimmel โa “friend.” The incidents raise questions aboutโข the future of political satireโฃ on American televisionโข and the โpotential chilling effect of legal action onโ comedic commentary.
