America's late-night TV hosts have rallied behind fellow comedian Jimmy Kimmel after he was suspended by ABC in a row over comments he made about the killing of Charlie Kirk. Stephen Colbert began his show by saying we are all Jimmy Kimmel, and said the star's removal was a blatant assault on freedom of speech.

Seth Meyers declared it was a privilege and honour to call Jimmy Kimmel my friend, while Jon Stewart and Jimmy Fallon tackled the free speech issue by doing satirical sketches in which they were apparently forced to praise Donald Trump.

Their broadcasts came shortly after the US president said the main networks were overwhelmingly negative about him and could have their licences taken away.

The row started after Kimmel said in his monologue on Monday that the Maga gang were desperately trying to characterise this kid who murdered Charlie Kirk as anything other than one of them and trying to score political points from it. He also likened Trump's reaction to the conservative political activist's death to how a four-year-old mourns a goldfish.

For years, Trump has focused on those in the media who he views as his opponents. Is Kimmel's suspension an attack on free speech? A sign of another media company bowing to Trump's assault? Or a long overdue reckoning? It depends on whose side you are on.

This latest decision has sent a chill through liberal America - and encouraged the president's supporters who have long railed against the late-night talk show hosts who criticize him. On conservative-leaning Fox News, Greg Gutfeld argued that Kimmel's comments warranted the suspension, stating there were limits to free speech on network TV.

As the situation continues to unfold, the conversations about media, power, and the boundaries of free expression remain more relevant than ever.