New York City mayoral nominee Zohran Mamdani announced Monday that he is canceling a televised town hall with the local ABC affiliate scheduled for Thursday to protest the parent network’s suspension of Jimmy Kimmel from his late-night talk show.

ABC suspended Mr. Kimmel’s program indefinitely after the comedian falsely claimed that the alleged assassin of conservative activist Charlie Kirk may have been part of the “MAGA gang.” His comments prompted criticism from the chairman of the Federal Communications Commission, which has regulatory oversight of the broadcast network.

“ABC pulled Jimmy Kimmel off the air after the FCC sought to pressure them,” Mr. Mamdani, a democratic socialist member of New York’s assembly, said during a Monday morning press conference. “The message that it sends to each and every American across this country is a message the First Amendment is no longer a right that can be counted on, but rather that it is government which will determine what should and should not be discussed, what can and cannot be spoken. And we cannot normalize these kinds of acts nor offenses.”

The announcement was made at Franklin D. Roosevelt Four Freedoms State Park on Roosevelt Island in New York harbor. Mr. Mamdani noted the location was chosen to evoke President Roosevelt’s 1941 State of the Union address, which cited freedom of speech as one of the four fundamental freedoms of American democracy.

The controversy began after Mr. Kimmel’s monologue last Monday, with his false claim drawing sharp criticism from conservatives. Subsequently, the Federal Communications Commission chairman, Brendan Carr, appeared on a podcast and threatened regulatory consequences for ABC’s parent company, Disney, if it did not take action against Mr. Kimmel. 

Major owners of ABC affiliate stations, including Nexstar and Sinclair — both of which have billion-dollar deals in the works that will require FCC approval — announced they would stop airing the show, leading ABC to suspend it indefinitely. The move has since sparked protests and drawn backlash from a wide range of public figures.

As the frontrunner in the November 4 mayoral general election, Mr. Mamdani said his actions are a form of resistance against what he sees as the Trump administration’s efforts to silence dissent.

“I will use my power as the mayor to fight those who seek to divide us, those who seek to abuse their power, those who seek to take away our freedom,” Mr. Mamdani said. “Because it is not the government’s job to bully talk show hosts off of the air. It is not the government’s job to tell us what we can and cannot talk about.”

He also expressed concern for the show’s production staff at Los Angeles, who stand to lose their jobs if the show is permanently canceled. According to a report from Variety, Disney and Mr. Kimmel are attempting to negotiate a return, but no agreement has been reached.

Mr. Mamdani’s campaign confirmed the WABC town hall had been planned for several weeks. He also took the opportunity to criticize his opponents, Governor Andrew Cuomo and Mayor Eric Adams, calling them “so-called leaders” who are showing “cowardice because they are looking to the White House for their path to their future ambitions.”

Critics, though, said Mr. Mamdani’s motive may not be quite as lofty as he claims. “Any excuse to dodge the tough questions from independent outlets,” journalist Ira Stoll said on X. 

A contributing editor with City Journal, Rafael A. Mangual, also mocked Mr. Mamdani’s decision to bail on the town hall, writing on X, “Oh look — the guy who has yet to sit for an interview in which he’s likely to be challenged in any meaningful way finds an excuse to avoid fielding any hard questions (thereby minimizing the risk of damage) ahead of the election. Shocker.”