Protect free speech! Add your name to the petition to stop Trump's continued attacks against Jimmy Kimmel NOW.
Dear MoveOn member,
The Trump administration is renewing its censorship of late-night host Jimmy Kimmel. Trump is calling for Kimmel's firing, and first lady Melania Trump took to X to demand ABC “take a stand” following Kimmel's roast of the president on his show, after news broke that no comedian would perform at the White House Correspondents' Association dinner.1
It was on his show that aired on Thursday, days before the dinner, that Kimmel made a joke that the first lady had "a glow like an expectant widow"—a comment on Trump’s health that rings different now given the alleged gunman at the event Sunday night.2
Regardless of how you feel about Kimmel's comedy, this is clearly an extension of the Trump administration’s attempts to discredit, censor, and outright cancel the platforms of notable critics like Kimmel, Jon Stewart, Joy Reid, Mehdi Hasan, and others. Meanwhile, far-right MAGA influencers akin to Alex Jones, spewing extreme conspiracy theories and violent rhetoric on YouTube, are legitimized by the administration.3
MAGA is determined to abuse the power of the government to silence anyone who dares to disagree with them, even in cases that are clearly political satire. This is censorship, plain and simple. Will you sign the petition?
This is an attempt by the White House to exploit for their own political gain a terrifying incident that should be treated with serious concern—a blatant excuse to revive their campaign of censorship. Let's be clear: Trump built his presidency on political violence, inflammatory rhetoric, and divisiveness. He doesn't want to turn the political temperature down—he wants to control it. And this is yet another attempt to silence and intimidate people who speak out against him.
ABC and Disney must commit to standing up against government censorship. Neither critics, comedians, nor corporations should be scared into submission by MAGA.
Will you join more than 230,000 MoveOn members and sign the petition to let ABC know that the public expects them to stand up against the Trump administration and government censorship?
Shortly after Sunday’s evacuation, Trump supporters took to social media claiming that the incident was why construction of Trump's extravagant ballroom should move forward—claims echoed by Trump officials demanding the lawsuit against the ballroom project be dropped in the wake of the assassination attempt.4
The administration is abusing its power and platform to capitalize on the fear of political violence—to build Trump’s ballroom, to silence his critics, and to control the media narrative.
The threat of political violence is real. And it has worsened under the Trump administration. One of Trump’s first acts in his second term was to pardon the violent January 6 insurrectionists—many of whom have gone on to be rearrested, charged, or sentenced for new criminal offenses.5,6 Threats and harassment against judges and legislators are on the rise.7
But last year, when Minnesota Representative Melissa Hortman and her husband were assassinated, Trump didn’t use his position to lower the political temperature. Instead, he spread misinformation and conspiracy theories that have been debunked.8
If Trump and the first lady want to seriously confront political violence and divisiveness, they have to first admit the call is coming from inside the White House. But we're going to keep calling out government-sanctioned censorship for what it is.
We successfully pushed back against attacks against Kimmel last fall, and we’re ready to do it again. Add your name NOW to demonstrate the public's broad opposition to the Trump administration’s attacks on free speech.
Thanks for all you do.
–Aliya, Erica, Alexis, Kenia, and the rest of the team
Sources:
1. "Trump calls on ABC to fire Kimmel after he joked Melania was an 'expectant widow,'" CNN, April 27, 2026
https://www.cnn.com/2026/04/27/politics/melania-trump-kimmel-whcd-shooting
2. Ibid.
3. "MAGA Influencers Advancing Trump's Racist Anti-Immigrant Agenda," Global Project Against Hate and Extremism, January 23, 2026
https://globalextremism.org/post/maga-influencers-advancing-trumps-racist-anti-immigrant-agenda/
4. "DoJ pressures group to drop lawsuit against Trump's ballroom after gala shooting," The Guardian, April 27, 2026
https://www.theguardian.com/us-news/2026/apr/27/doj-trump-ballroom-gala-security
5. "At least 33 pardoned insurrectionists face other criminal charges—but many are now going free," CREW, December 18, 2025
https://www.citizensforethics.org/reports-investigations/crew-reports/at-least-33-pardoned-insurrectionists-face-other-criminal-charges-but-many-are-now-going-free/
6. "Explainer: How did the Trump administration's first 100 days impact political violence risk?" Bridging Divides Initiative, accessed April 27, 2026
https://bridgingdivides.princeton.edu/explainer-how-did-trump-administration%E2%80%99s-first-100-days-impact-political-violence-risk
7. Ibid.
8. "Trump amplifies false claims about Melissa Hortman's murder," Axios, January 4, 2026
https://www.axios.com/local/twin-cities/2026/01/04/trump-hortman-murder-conspiracy-theories-minnesota
You're receiving this petition because we thought it might interest you. It was created on MoveOn.org, where anyone can start their own online petitions. You can start your own petition here.
Want to support MoveOn's work? Donald Trump’s authoritarian takeover intensifies every day—but history shows that authoritarian regimes crumble when just 3.5% of people rise up together in sustained resistance. That’s why MoveOn is helping mobilize millions, from massive No Kings protests to our nonstop work to get ICE out of our neighborhoods. This moment demands mass, disciplined, people-powered resistance, and MoveOn can reach, train, and organize at a scale unmatched in the progressive movement. Will you chip in to fuel this urgent and critical organizing?
If you've saved your payment information with ActBlue Express, your donation will go through immediately:
Donate: $5 monthly
Donate: $15 monthly
Donate: $50 monthly
Donate another amount monthly
Or make a one-time gift
Contributions to MoveOn Civic Action are not tax-deductible for income tax purposes. MoveOn.org Civic Action - PO Box 96141, Washington, D.C. 20090-6141. ActBlue Civics Inc. is the merchant of record for all transactions made to MoveOn Civic Action using the ActBlue platform. ActBlue Civics Inc. receives and processes these donations before disbursing them to MoveOn Civic Action within 30 days of receipt.
This email was sent to Cassandra Hubbell on April 27, 2026. To change your email address or update your contact info, click here. MoveOn's privacy policy was recently updated. To read our new privacy policy, click here. To remove yourself from this list, unsubscribe.
