Kathy Griffin is adding her voice to the growing chorus of support for Jimmy Kimmel as President Donald Trump continues to urge ABC to fire the late-night host over a joke about the first lady.
Griffin's Emotional Support
On Tuesday's episode of her podcast "Talk Your Head Off," Griffin said she was "tearing up a bit" before comparing Kimmel's situation to the backlash she faced in 2017 for a photo holding a fake decapitated head of the president.
"Man, do I wish somebody had done this for me," Griffin said, wearing a "Jimmy Kimmel Live!" shirt.
The Joke in Question
Trump and Melania Trump are pressuring ABC to fire Kimmel after he quipped that the first lady was glowing "like an expectant widow" in a show filmed days before a shooting near the White House Correspondents' Association dinner. The clip circulated in MAGA social media spaces earlier this week.
Kimmel, whose show was briefly taken off the air last year after comments about the suspect in Charlie Kirk's assassination, has responded defiantly to the criticism.
Griffin's First Amendment Concerns
On her podcast, Griffin emphasized that Kimmel "never canceled" her despite her being the "most censored" comedian in Hollywood after the 2017 incident. The photo led to a U.S. Secret Service investigation, which Griffin claims Trump helped orchestrate.
"I'm just going to be honest: It still hurts," Griffin said of the decade-old photo and its career impact. "My First Amendment rights were truly violated because I had the actual Department of Justice coming after me, not a private company. So that's what's happening to Jimmy right now."
Broad Support for Kimmel
Rep. James Comer (R-Ky.), George Clooney, Jane Fonda's First Amendment group, and Kimmel's former "Man Show" co-host Adam Carolla have all defended him since the MAGA complaints began.
On Tuesday, "Late Show" host Stephen Colbert was seen at a New York Knicks playoff game wearing a "Jimmy Kimmel Live!" beanie in a show of solidarity.
