Earlier in the day, Mamdani announced he was pulling out of the event following ABC’s decision to suspend the late-night host.
“We’ve reached out to WABC to reschedule the town hall,” he added.
“I am withdrawing not as an indictment of the local affiliate or the hardworking journalists, but rather in response to the corporate leaders who have put their bottom line ahead of their responsibility in upholding the freedom of the press,“ Mamdani said in a statement.
Later Monday, ABC said it was lifting Kimmel’s suspension and that he would return to his show on Tuesday, releasing a statement that said the network had “spent the last days having thoughtful conversations with Jimmy.”
On his show, Kimmel had made various comments about the reaction to Kirk’s killing, including that “many in MAGA land are working very hard to capitalize on the murder of Charlie Kirk.” Kimmel has not made a public statement following his suspension.
In his original statement, Mamdani said the suspension sent “a message that the First Amendment is no longer a right that can be counted on, but rather that it is the government which will determine what should and should not be discussed, what can and cannot be spoken.”
