Former President of the United States of America, Barack Obama, has condemned the suspension of Jimmy Kimmel Show following its remark about the deceased activist, Charlie Kirk.
Obama, in a post on his X handle described the interruption of the program as a dangerous attack by the government on the right to free speech and a threat against the media in their quest in carrying out their duties.
In the post, the erstwhile president held that the current administration is subjecting the media into animosity as companies are being threatened with needless regulatory action which is affecting the constitutional rights of journalism firms.
Obama’s post on Thursday read, ”After years of complaining about cancel culture, the current administration has taken it to a new and dangerous level by routinely threatening regulatory action against media companies unless they muzzle or fire reporters and commentators it doesn’t like.
“This is precisely the kind of government coercion that the First Amendment was designed to prevent — and media companies need to start standing up rather than capitulating to it.”
During the Monday edition of the programme, Jimmy Kimmel, the host, accused Kirk’s supporters of using his assassination to score political points.
The suspension has sparked backlash from free speech advocates, who argue that the administration’s actions amount to political censorship.
