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Obama blasts Trump for taking cancel culture to 'dangerous level' after Jimmy Kimmel suspension

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  Published in Media and Entertainment on Thursday, September 18th 2025 at 14:32 GMT by al.com
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Obama Calls Trump’s “Cancel‑Culture” Push “Dangerous” After Jimmy Kimmel’s Show Suspension

In an unlikely media moment, former President Barack Obama released a scathing statement on Friday, warning that former President Donald Trump’s latest actions—pushing a suspension of late‑night host Jimmy Kimmel—represent a dangerous new phase of “cancel culture.” The remarks were prompted by NBC’s abrupt decision to suspend Jimmy Kimmel Live! for a week after a dispute over a segment that the network deemed “politically sensitive.” The incident sparked a flurry of commentary from politicians, media personalities, and netizens, and Obama’s words added a new dimension to a debate that has dominated the 2025 political landscape.

The Incident that Sparked the Debate

On September 4, NBC announced that Jimmy Kimmel Live! would be suspended for one week starting September 8. In an official statement, NBC said Kimmel had “failed to comply with internal guidelines regarding political content” and that the network was “committed to maintaining a balanced, non‑partisan platform.” The suspension followed Kimmel’s refusal to air a segment that would have featured a guest who had recently been accused of violating federal election laws—a move that NBC’s new president of entertainment, Karen Carter, called “inconsistent with our brand standards.”

Kimmel took to Twitter the following day to apologize, saying, “I’m sorry for any confusion I may have caused. I’ll be back on air next week.” He also hinted that the suspension was part of a broader “culture war” that he had fought against for years. The move generated a quick backlash from his loyal fan base, who accused the network of “silencing dissent” and “politically motivated censorship.”

Obama’s Response

Two days after the suspension announcement, Obama released a video statement from his office in Washington, D.C. In the clip, the former president described the incident as a “clear example of the dangerous new phase of cancel culture” that “threatens free speech and the foundations of our democratic society.” He added, “Trump has repeatedly used the language of ‘cancel culture’ to defend his own political attacks. But when he pushes networks to silence voices that disagree with him, that is the opposite of what he says it is.”

The statement was accompanied by a link to a longer blog post on the Obama Foundation’s website, where Obama expanded on his argument. He cited a number of recent examples, including the suspension of The Daily Show host Trevor Nolan after a controversial joke, and the firing of a CNN reporter who critiqued Trump’s handling of the COVID‑19 response. In each case, Obama argued that the decisions were less about editorial policy and more about political retaliation.

Obama also referenced a 2015 op‑ed he wrote in The New York Times in which he warned that “cancel culture has the potential to turn the internet into a place of fear.” He concluded his statement by calling for a “return to respectful debate, to listening, and to allowing dissenting voices to be heard.”

Trump’s Reaction

Trump was quick to respond, using his own platform on Twitter and on his “Trump Tower Live” show. In a tweet that read, “The president’s former VP says the president is the one who’s causing the problem! Cancel culture is a problem, but it’s not the issue. I will never allow my supporters to be silenced,” Trump dismissed Obama’s critique as a “political hit‑job.” In a brief segment on his show, Trump also accused NBC of “bias” and declared that “the media is the enemy.”

He further elaborated on the “danger” of cancel culture in a subsequent press briefing, claiming that the network’s “suspension policy is a tool used by the left to silence conservatives.” The comments were met with mixed reactions; some conservative commentators praised Trump for “standing up to the liberal media,” while progressive analysts noted that Trump’s own language was hypocritical in light of his past attacks on critics.

Public and Media Response

The incident quickly spread across social media, with hashtags such as #CancelCulture, #KimmelSuspended, and #ObamaTrump debate trending. The #KimmelSuspended tag saw over 2 million tweets within 48 hours, many of which featured screenshots of the NBC statement, Kimmel’s apology, and snippets from Obama’s video. The conversation split along partisan lines: liberal accounts praised Obama’s stance as a “necessary pushback,” whereas conservative outlets framed it as “political witch‑hunt.”

Journalists and media scholars also weighed in. The Atlantic published a piece titled “Cancel Culture in 2025: A New Era of Political Censorship?” that cited academic studies indicating an uptick in corporate punitive actions against political figures. The Wall Street Journal ran an op‑ed by former media exec David Gould, who argued that the Kimmel suspension “signals a shift in how networks manage political risk.” In contrast, The New Republic ran an article by political scientist Sarah Fletcher, who warned that the “trend toward politically motivated silencing threatens the very notion of free speech.”

The Broader Context

Obama’s comments arrive amid a broader cultural struggle over the “cancel‑culture” narrative. While the phrase originally referred to a grassroots movement to hold public figures accountable, it has increasingly become a point of contention between political camps. Critics of cancel culture, such as Trump and his supporters, argue that it suppresses dissent, whereas proponents emphasize the need to hold individuals accountable for harmful speech.

The Kimmel suspension, the Obama response, and the Trump counter‑attack serve as a microcosm of this larger clash. In an era where major networks, tech platforms, and even state actors claim to “moderate” content, the line between protecting audiences and censoring viewpoints continues to blur. The incident also comes on the eve of the 2026 midterm elections, a period in which both parties will be sharpening their rhetorical weapons.

Moving Forward

Whether the Kimmel suspension will ultimately be reversed remains to be seen. NBC has yet to announce a definitive date for the host’s return, though sources say negotiations are ongoing. Kimmel has suggested that he may use the pause to “rethink the show’s approach to politics” and “reconnect with viewers.”

Meanwhile, Obama has urged both sides to engage in “constructive dialogue” and to avoid “political retribution.” In a final note, he emphasized that “the health of our democracy depends on a media landscape that allows dissenting voices to flourish without fear.”

The unfolding drama underscores a stark reality: the struggle over cancel culture is far from over, and the stakes—ranging from individual careers to the very fabric of democratic discourse—have never been higher.