A-listers and lawmakers spoke out in defense of Jimmy Kimmel after the late-night host was pulled off the air “indefinitely” after the FCC chair, Brendan Carr, threatened to take action against Disney’s ABC if the comedian wasn’t punished over remarks he made about Charlie Kirk’s suspected shooter.
Strangely, there have been crickets from Kimmel’s good pal Jennifer Aniston – and sources claimed while The Morning Show star “desperately wants” to show public support for her friend, there’s a reason she’s been “silenced,” RadarOnline.com can reveal.
Aniston Signs Petition Defending ‘Free Speech’ After Kimmel Pulled Off-air
Bethenny Frankel’s recent comments about Curtis are said to have ‘rattled’ Aniston.
Aniston’s name was on the list of more than 400 artists who signed the American Civil Liberties Union’s (ACLU) petition warning of a “dark moment for freedom of speech” after Kimmel was pulled off-air last week.
The letter stated: “We the people must never accept government threats to our freedom of speech. Efforts by leaders to pressure artists, journalists, and companies with retaliation for their speech strike at the heart of what it means to live in a free country.”
But other than offering her John Hancock to the cause, the Friends star has been bizarrely silent on Kimmel’s suspension.
Reps Advised Aniston To Stay Silent On Kimmel To Avoid Backlash
Sources claimed Aniston is ‘100 percent’ in Kimmel’s corner but has been advised to not speak out on his suspension.
Insiders reportedly claimed Aniston, who shares a close friendship with Kimmel and has even invited him to her Thanksgiving dinners, is “100 percent in his corner” but has been advised to keep quiet to avoid backlash.
The source explained: “Jen and Jimmy have been very close friends for years. She desperately wants to come out in support of him being pulled off the air over his comments because she’s one hundred percent in his corner.
“However, her reps are advising her this is one time she should stay out of the conversation.”
Kimmel was pulled off-air ‘indefinitely’ following threats from the FCC over his comments about Charlie Kirk’s assassination.
They continued: “Her representatives are strongly advising her to restrain herself about Kimmel publicly for fear of the backlash.”
The source noted it was a “very hard decision” for Aniston to take the alleged advice because she’s “not a person who holds back” and “speaks her mind.”
Aniston and Kimmel’s friendship dates back over a decade to 2012, when the late-night host and his wife, Molly McNearney, who previously served as a writer on his show, invited the sitcom star and her then-boyfriend Justin Theroux over for dinner.
Aniston ‘Concerned’ About Career Fallout
Sources claimed it was a ‘very hard decision’ for Aniston to make but she’s ‘concerned it could hurt her career.’
McNearney later recalled: “At first I was a bit star-struck that Rachel Green was standing near my bananas. But my nerves faded as soon as she hugged me, pulled a lime off our tree for her vodka rocks, and dissected The Bachelor.
“She was immediately warm, like an old friend. She’s magnetic like that. No boundaries, no bull—- and a lot of laughing.”
The couples became so close that in 2015, when Aniston tied the knot with Theroux, Kimmel officiated the wedding, though the couple divorced three years later in 2018.
Despite their history, sources claimed Aniston has stayed silent because she’s “concerned it could hurt her career.”
ABC Announces ‘Jimmy Kimmel Live!’ Will Return on September 23
On Monday, September 22, ABC announced Kimmel’s suspension had been lifted and Jimmy Kimmel Live! would return on Tuesday, September 23.
The network said in a statement: “Last Wednesday, we made the decision to suspend production on the show to avoid further inflaming a tense situation at an emotional moment for our country. It is a decision we made because we felt some of the comments were ill-timed and thus insensitive.
“We have spent the last days having thoughtful conversations with Jimmy, and after those conversations, we reached the decision to return the show on Tuesday.”
