Add Bill Maher to the growing chorus of late-night voices rallying behind Jimmy Kimmel.

On Friday’s episode of HBO’s Real Time with Bill Maher, the comedian devoted his opening monologue to ABC’s indefinite suspension of Jimmy Kimmel Live!. What began as support for a colleague quickly turned into a history lesson — one that highlighted Maher’s own rocky departure from ABC two decades earlier.

Maher: “Every Right to Be Wrong”

Kimmel was pulled off the air after comments he made about the alleged assassin of conservative activist Charlie Kirk. While Maher said he didn’t agree with Kimmel’s characterization of the shooter’s politics, he defended the right to make the joke.

“It was 24 years to the day that I made comments on ABC that got me cancelled from that network,” Maher said, drawing a straight line between his own past and Kimmel’s current situation.

Maher underscored the principle of free speech:

“I disagreed with what Jimmy said. But he had every right to be wrong. That’s what free speech is — you don’t only get to protect the things you agree with.”

Maher’s Own ABC Controversy

Maher’s defense carries added resonance because he’s been in Kimmel’s shoes before.

On Sept. 17, 2001, just days after the 9/11 attacks, Maher sparked outrage on ABC’s Politically Incorrect. When guest Dinesh D’Souza objected to President George W. Bush calling the terrorists “cowards,” Maher agreed, saying:

“We have been the cowards, lobbing cruise missiles from 2,000 miles away. Staying in a plane to crash it is not cowardly.”

The comments ignited a firestorm. Conservative commentators condemned him, advertisers threatened boycotts, and Maher issued a public apology.

The backlash didn’t fade. By May 2002, ABC announced Politically Incorrect would be canceled, claiming a shift toward “straight entertainment programming” in late night.

That cancellation cleared the path for Jimmy Kimmel Live!, which premiered in January 2003. Maher, meanwhile, launched Real Time on HBO the following month — a move that has since given him one of the longest and most influential runs in modern political comedy.

Parallels Between Maher and Kimmel

For Maher, the parallels between his own ouster and Kimmel’s suspension are impossible to ignore. Both cases involve politically charged remarks that upset powerful figures, triggered advertiser jitters, and forced ABC to act under pressure.

But Maher’s story also offers a roadmap for Kimmel’s future.

“If this firing goes for you the way it did for me, you’ll get 23 years on a better network,” Maher quipped, earning applause from the Real Time audience.

A Pattern in Late-Night

Maher’s defense of Kimmel fits into a broader trend of late-night solidarity.

Stephen Colbert called Kimmel’s suspension a “blatant assault on freedom of speech.”

Seth Meyers told his audience, “This is a pivotal moment in our democracy, and we must all stand up for free expression.”

Jon Stewart extended his usual Monday hosting gig on The Daily Show to return midweek, framing Kimmel’s case as part of a global fight against censorship, with Nobel laureate Maria Ressa as his guest.

Even Jay Leno, one of Kimmel’s longtime rivals, surprised observers by backing him: “I’m a huge proponent of free speech. I’m on Jimmy Kimmel’s side.”

Maher’s addition to that list is particularly notable given the irony: without Maher’s cancellation in 2002, Kimmel might never have launched his show in the first place.

Why It Matters

Maher’s comments highlight how the fight over Kimmel’s suspension is bigger than a single late-night program. It’s about whether satire and political comedy can survive in an environment where corporate networks are squeezed between advertisers, affiliates, and political regulators.

If ABC’s decision sticks, Maher argues, Kimmel could find himself on a trajectory similar to his own: punished in the short term, but ultimately free to flourish on a platform with fewer constraints.

Conclusion

Two decades after his own ouster from ABC, Bill Maher has come full circle — now standing up for the man who replaced him. By backing Kimmel, Maher framed the controversy not as a left-versus-right debate, but as a free speech crisis that affects everyone in late-night and beyond.

“He had every right to be wrong,” Maher repeated. “And if that gets you taken off the air, we’re in real trouble.”

For Kimmel, the suspension may feel like an ending. For Maher, it could be the beginning of another chapter — one that proves there’s life after ABC, and sometimes even more freedom.