Jane Fonda’s free speech group defends Kimmel amid Trump firing call: ‘Satire is not a crime’

A free speech group led by Hollywood star Jane Fonda is defending comedian Jimmy Kimmel, who President Trump and first lady Melania Trump said Monday should lose his late-night hosting gig over a joke last week calling the first lady an “expectant widow,” a dig that came just days before the latest assassination attempt against the president.

The demands to pull Kimmel off ABC’s airwaves coming from the White House “follow the same old, tired, authoritarian playbook: use the weight of government to pressure media outlets to silence speech it disfavors and chip away at First Amendment protections,” the Committee for the First Amendment wrote in a statement.

“In America, satire is not a crime. The right to mock, to challenge, and yes, to offend those in power, is foundational to democracy,” it continued. “From late-night television to political cartoons, comedy has long served as a........

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