New York City mayoral candidate Zohran Mamdani said Monday evening that he will attend a town hall hosted by WABC-TV after ABC announced it is reinstating late-night host Jimmy Kimmel, reversing his earlier decision to boycott the event.Mamdani, the Democratic nominee, had earlier withdrawn from the forum in protest of ABC’s suspension of Kimmel following backlash over his comments about the killing of conservative activist Charlie Kirk. “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.After ABC confirmed Kimmel would return to his show Tuesday, Mamdani reversed course. “Last week, Disney/ABC caved to Trump administration pressure. Millions of Americans helped them find their backbone. Whether you watch Jimmy Kimmel or not, today’s decision is a victory for free speech,” Mamdani wrote on X. “We’ve reached out to WABC to reschedule the town hall.” The 33-year-old candidate faces former governor Andrew Cuomo, incumbent Mayor Eric Adams, and Republican Curtis Sliwa in November’s mayoral election. ABC said in a statement that it had “spent the last days having thoughtful conversations with Jimmy” before lifting the suspension. Kimmel has not commented publicly since his reinstatement.Kimmel’s suspension last week, prompted by pressure from broadcasters Nexstar and Sinclair and threats from FCC Chairman Brendan Carr, drew applause from President Donald Trump, who called Kirk a “great American hero.” On his show, Kimmel had said that “many in MAGA land are working very hard to capitalize on the murder of Charlie Kirk.”The controversy sparked broader debate over free speech and government censorship. More than 430 figures in the entertainment industry signed an open letter organised by the American Civil Liberties Union condemning the suspension as “a dark moment for freedom of speech in our nation.”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.”
