The View Finally Addresses Jimmy Kimmel Controversy amid FCC Threats to ‘Look into’ ABC Series: ‘No One Silences Us’

The panelists on The View are finally speaking out about the suspension of Jimmy Kimmel Live! after the chair of the Federal Communications Commission (FCC) suggested the agency should “look into” their talk show next.

For two episodes, the panel stayed quiet about ABC’s decision to pull Jimmy Kimmel’s long-running late-night program. But on Monday, Sept. 22, Whoopi Goldberg, Ana Navarro, Sara Haines, Sunny Hostin, and Alyssa Farah Griffin shared their thoughts. The suspension followed comments Kimmel made about Charlie Kirk, the conservative commentator who was killed at a campus event at Utah Valley University.

Goldberg, 69, opened the show by explaining why they had waited. “We took a breath to see if Jimmy [Kimmel] was going to say anything about it,” she said. “Did y’all really think we were not gonna talk about Jimmy Kimmel? Have you watched the show over the last 29 seasons? You know, no one silences us.”

She continued, “…We did the same thing with Stephen Colbert. Then, our show was on tape on Friday. But we are live here today. And we’re getting into it now.”

Goldberg stressed that while people can dislike a show or see someone taken off the air for what they say, “the government can not apply pressure to force someone to be silenced.”

The show then aired clips of Ted Cruz and Rand Paul reacting to the Kimmel controversy. Goldberg added about President Donald Trump: “I don’t understand how you are the man in charge of the nation and you still don’t understand how the First Amendment works.”

Hostin, 56, agreed that “the president of the United States should know what the freedom of speech means.” Navarro, 53, turned to the audience, thanking viewers for holding them accountable. “You deserve truth and courage from us, and we will give it to you,” she said.

Navarro also pointed out what she called the irony of using the killing of Charlie Kirk to silence others. “The horrible, senseless assassination of Charlie Kirk — a man I disagreed with — who stood for debate and freedom of speech, is being used to cancel people,” she said.

She continued, “I don’t understand how in this country, where the First Amendment was made to guarantee freedom of the press and speech, the government is using its power to scare people into silence.” Navarro shared her experience growing up in Nicaragua, living under both right-wing and left-wing dictatorships. “At first they come for the people with big platforms, they silence the press. Then they come for all of us, because their intent is to scare us into silence and self-censorship,” she said. “A bully always comes back for more.”

Farah Griffin, 36, added that viewers should “think about the precedent it sets down the road.”

Two days before ABC’s Wednesday, Sept. 17 decision, Kimmel had addressed the incident on air. During his Monday, Sept. 15 monologue, he criticized the “MAGA Gang” for trying to shift blame in the killing of Kirk and said, “In between the finger-pointing, there was grieving.” He also expressed condolences to Kirk’s family.

The suspension came shortly after Nexstar Media, the nation’s largest local broadcast and digital company, announced plans to acquire Tegna for $6.2 billion. That deal, covering 80% of U.S. TV households, still needs approval from the Trump-controlled FCC. Nexstar later stated it “strongly objects to recent comments made by Mr. Kimmel concerning the killing of Charlie Kirk” and would replace the show in ABC-affiliated markets.

FCC Chair Brendan Carr, who supported the suspension, later suggested on The Scott Jennings Radio Show that the agency may review The View. Carr explained the FCC’s “equal opportunity rule” and questioned if programs like The View should continue to qualify as “bona fide news programs,” which makes them exempt from that rule.

The panel’s comments came after their Sept. 18 and Sept. 19 shows did not mention the controversy. While some reports suggested chaos was brewing behind the scenes, a source told PEOPLE on Sept. 19 that this was “false,” saying, “The team is focused on producing a daily talk show and having thoughtful conversations at the table.”

At the end of the Sept. 22 broadcast, Goldberg closed with a holiday message: “Don’t give up, we are all in this together and we’re doing it, and we will see you tomorrow, because we will.”