speech

Hundreds of Hollywood and Broadway stars are urging Americans to defend free speech following Jimmy Kimmel’s suspension.

Kimmel’s representatives did not immediately comment, but the breakthrough comes as free speech protests grew loud and some consumers, including radio personality Howard Stern, announced they had canceled their Disney+ subscriptions to lodge their dismay.

“When speech is being targeted with so much precision, it takes courage from every single person to speak out — and the creative community is meeting the urgency of this moment.”

"Efforts by leaders to pressure artists, journalists, and companies with retaliation for their speech strike at the heart of what it means to live in a free country," the celebrities' letter says.

In her acceptance speech, Hampton paid tribute to Matt Beard, the former Chelsea, Liverpool, West Ham and Bristol City manager, who died on Saturday aged 47.