New York mayoral candidate had withdrawn from WABC event in protest at network\u2019s suspension of talkshow host<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Zohran Mamdani<\/a>, the New York Democratic mayoral candidate, said on Monday evening he was willing to appear at a town hall hosted by a local ABC station after the national network said it would reinstate Jimmy Kimmel\u2019s late-night show.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Mamdani had announced his withdrawal from the televised town hall hosted by a local ABC station in protest of the network\u2019s suspension of Jimmy Kimmel\u2019s<\/a> talkshow.<\/p>\n\n\n\n ABC pulled Kimmel\u2019s late-night show off air<\/a> on 17 September after the chair of the Federal Communications Commission (FCC) threatened to pull ABC affiliate broadcast licenses if the network did not act against Kimmel. Kimmel had criticized the Trump administration\u2019s reaction to the killing of rightwing youth organizer Charlie Kirk<\/a>.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Kimmel\u2019s suspension sparked\u2002backlash<\/a> from politicians<\/a>, media figures<\/a> and free-speech organizations<\/a>, and it has prompted boycotts\u2002<\/a>and protests\u2002<\/a>against both ABC and its parent company, Disney.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Mamdani, who was set to participate in a town hall event with New York\u2019s WABC on Thursday<\/a>, had said he would no longer take part.<\/p>\n\n\n\n \u201cI am withdrawing not as an indictment of the local affiliate or the hard-working 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,\u201d Mamdani said earlier on Monday during a news conference.<\/p>\n\n\n\n \u201cWe cannot understand this moment of authoritarianism as solely coming from the White House, when it is also characterized by the cowardice of those in response to it.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n He also mentioned his opponents in the mayoral race, former New York<\/a> governor Andrew Cuomo and incumbent Eric Adams. The Trump administration has reportedly explored offering Adams a position in exchange for the incumbent\u2019s dropping out of the race, with polling suggesting the contest would tighten in favor of Cuomo, whom the president prefers to Mamdani.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Mamdani said: \u201cI am running to be the next mayor of the city to finally make clear what it looks like to stand up, not just for this city, but also for the constitution.<\/p>\n\n\n\n \u201cWe have to understand who suffers in these moments. It\u2019s not just a question of Jimmy Kimmel<\/a> himself, it\u2019s also a question of the engineers, the writers, the musicians who are feeling this attack on the very city they call home. The message that it sends to each and every American across this country is a message that [free speech] 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.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n Disney did not immediately respond to a request for comment from the Guardian.<\/p>\n\n\n\n On Friday, Variety reported that Disney and Kimmel were working on a compromise that would bring\u2002<\/a>his talkshow back on air.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Meanwhile, a report from Front Office Sports<\/a> explored some potential complications to such a compromise. The outlet reported that Disney could be facing a choice between putting Kimmel back on air and completing a multibillion-dollar deal with the National Football League to swap the NFL Network, RedZone brand, NFL Fantasy Football and other media assets for a 10% stake in Disney-owned sportscaster ESPN.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Disney announced on Monday \u2013 after the suspension sparked a national free speech debate and spurred boycott calls<\/a> as well as protests outside the company\u2019s headquarters<\/a> in Burbank, California \u2013 that Jimmy Kimmel Live! would return to broadcast this Tuesday, saying that \u201cdays of thoughtful conversations\u201d with Kimmel had led to the decision.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Mamdani, a state assembly member from Queens, won the Democratic nomination in June<\/a>, defeating Cuomo. With less than two months until the 4 November general election, Mamdani has continued to hold a commanding lead<\/a> in the polls.<\/p>\n\n\n\n A recent poll showed Mamdani with 43% support among registered New York City voters. Cuomo, who is now running as an independent<\/a>, received 28% support in the poll.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Republican nominee Curtis Sliwa polled at 10% support, and Adams<\/a>, also running as an independent, polled at 8%. Nine percent of respondents said they were still undecided.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Kathy Hochul, the Democratic New York governor,\u2002has endorsed Mamdani<\/a> in his race to become the next mayor of one of the world\u2019s most prominent cities.<\/p>\n\n\n\n