Actor and comic Marlon Wayans has seen this film earlier than, and he is aware of the way it ends, or perhaps begins.
Following the current suspension of Jimmy Kimmel’s late-night present, Wayans didn’t mince phrases when he drew stark parallels between the ABC host’s present predicament and the systemic silencing that Black entertainers have endured for many years.
Talking on the premiere of his new thriller “Him,” Wayans provided a perspective that reduce by means of the political noise surrounding Kimmel’s indefinite elimination from the airwaves.
‘Now Is Not the Time to Be a Token Nicca’: Followers Name Out Marlon Wayans for Seemingly Condemning Black People Who Defended Safety Guard After He Was Jumped By a White Mob at Alabama Riverfront
“That is America, That is America,” he repeated, possible referring to Donald Glover’s Grammy-winning 2018 observe of the identical identify.
“What we’re seeing will not be one thing that I, me, myself — as a Black man — have seen earlier than. You recognize, I simply suppose it’s a disgrace, and I feel each single American loses due to this,” Wayans informed “Entry Hollywood.”
The suspension got here after Kimmel made feedback concerning the public’s response to right-wing activist Charlie Kirk’s loss of life on his Monday evening present, sparking outrage from conservative circles and in the end main ABC to drag the plug on “Jimmy Kimmel Dwell!” after greater than 20 years on air.
Jimmy Kimmel “We hit some new lows over the weekend with the MAGA gang desperately making an attempt to characterize this child who murdered Charlie Kirk as something aside from one among them & doing the whole lot they’ll to attain political factors…” “That is how a 4-year-old mourns a gold fish.” https://t.co/JzrnTHhBtN pic.twitter.com/TnrvhJOTB0
— Fly Sistah 🪷 (@Fly_Sistah) September 17, 2025
“The MAGA Gang desperately making an attempt to characterize this child who murdered Charlie Kirk as something aside from one among them and doing the whole lot they’ll to attain political factors from it,” Kimmel mentioned on his present. “In between the finger-pointing, there was grieving.”
Wayans, nevertheless, wasn’t able to let the second cross with out acknowledging the broader implications of what he was witnessing.
“There isn’t a ending, guys. Artists and voices, like Jimmy Kimmel, now we have to be brave,” he continued, framing the indefinite suspension of the present not as defeat however as a possibility for artistic resilience. “It’s a brand new starting. You’ll be able to’t cease the dunk. He simply made me create a brand new land, that’s all.”
The leisure trade’s historical past is plagued by cautionary tales of performers who dared to talk towards the grain, and Wayans appeared conscious about this legacy.
Dick Gregory, the pioneering comic and civil rights activist, confronted FBI surveillance and focused harassment campaigns designed to “neutralize” his affect.
J. Edgar Hoover’s 1968 memo explicitly outlined plans to silence Gregory by means of “refined, fully untraceable means,” even suggesting collaboration with organized crime figures to undermine the comic’s credibility and security.
Equally, Eartha Kitt’s profession was systematically dismantled after she refused to carry out for segregated audiences and spoke out towards the Vietnam Struggle throughout a 1968 White Home luncheon. In accordance with White Home Historical past, Kitt’s blunt criticism of sending younger People to battle abroad whereas home points remained unaddressed led to her being blacklisted from main U.S. venues for almost a decade, forcing her to rebuild her profession in Europe and Asia.
The social media response to Wayans’ feedback revealed the complicated feelings surrounding Kimmel’s state of affairs.
The Neighborhood Discuss’s protection of the interview generated passionate reactions from viewers who noticed acquainted patterns in unfamiliar territory.
“Info!!! Welcome to Black America Jimmy,” one person wrote, highlighting the irony of a mainstream white entertainer experiencing the sort of skilled penalties that Black voices have lengthy navigated.
One other commenter noticed, “We’ve BEEN residing in AmeriKKKa so this ain’t new to us,” whereas others interpreted Wayans’ measured response in a different way: “In different phrases, Marlon mentioned ‘that ain’t proper however this ain’t my battle.’”
One significantly pointed response famous, “Mainly, he mentioned exhibits get canceled on a regular basis B.. However when it occurs to us y’all don’t have this sort of dialog.”
The controversy intensified when former Fox Information host Megyn Kelly launched her personal social media offensive towards Kimmel, claiming he had unfold false details about the suspected perpetrator’s political affiliations.
Kelly’s inflammatory posts, full of threats and accusations, mockingly demonstrated the very sort of inflammatory rhetoric she claimed to oppose. Her assertion that Kimmel had “falsely acknowledged as a truth” details about the suspect contradicted the precise content material of his monologue, the place he had mentioned makes an attempt to distance the 22-year-old Utah man from sure political actions fairly than making definitive claims about his affiliations.
For Wayans, who has spent a long time navigating an trade the place artistic expression from African-People usually comes with skilled dangers, Kimmel’s state of affairs is acquainted to him and different Black entertainers. His feedback recommend an understanding that inventive braveness requires accepting potential penalties whereas persevering with to create and communicate authentically.
“No one misplaced their job once they mocked George Floyd, although,” one Neighborhood Discuss identified, including one other layer to this frustration.
