Canceled ‘Kimmel’ Guest Wanda Sykes Drops Scathing Reality Check On Donald Trump
Wanda Sykes was supposed to appear as the main guest on Jimmy Kimmel’s late-night show on Wednesday, but the episode never happened. Instead of chatting with Kimmel on air, Sykes ended up posting a video on Instagram, still fully dressed for the show, explaining why the appearance was canceled.
ABC suddenly suspended Kimmel’s show after complaints from the government about one of his recent monologues, where he criticized the late conservative activist Charlie Kirk. In her video, Sykes said, “I was supposed to be with my friend Jimmy Kimmel tonight, but as you’ve probably heard, the show has been pulled indefinitely because of complaints from the Trump administration.”
She then directly addressed Donald Trump, saying that while he hadn’t solved major world conflicts like the war in Ukraine or the crisis in Gaza, he had managed to “end freedom of speech” within his first year as president. She closed her message by urging people to pray and by sending love to Kimmel.
Audience members also described how they learned about the cancellation. One person said they were waiting in line when the decision was made. According to him, no explanation was given at first, just that the show wasn’t happening. His first thought was that something bad had happened, like someone getting hurt.
Later, he realized the cancellation was permanent or at least indefinite and traced it back to comments Kimmel had made. After reading those comments, he said they didn’t seem serious enough to justify canceling the whole show, calling the move extreme.
ABC’s suspension came after criticism from Brendan Carr, head of the Federal Communications Commission, who objected to Kimmel’s remarks. Kimmel had said that conservative figures were trying to spin the fatal shooting of Charlie Kirk for political gain, describing it as “a new low.” He added that while people were busy pointing fingers, there was also real grief happening.
Trump, who has long criticized Kimmel, celebrated the show’s cancellation on his Truth Social platform, calling it “Great News for America.” He also demanded that other late-night hosts like Seth Meyers and Jimmy Fallon be forced off the air.
Meanwhile, advocacy groups are framing the situation as part of a wider crackdown on free speech and urging people to support independent journalism, saying it’s more important than ever to stand up against censorship.
