ABC's decision to pull late-show host Jimmy Kimmel off the air marks what observers see as an escalation in a campaign by U.S. President Donald Trump and his allies to pressure media critics into silence.

The network announced it was indefinitely pre-empting , just as taping of the show's Wednesday night episode was about to begin, after Kimmel came under fire for a line in a monologue that referenced the man accused of killing prominent Trump supporter Charlie Kirk.

This follows a series of multibillion-dollar lawsuits by Trump against major news outlets, as well as CBS's announcement that it's cancelling , another comedian who frequently skewers the president.

It's all prompting concerns from free-speech activists that the White House is cracking down on Americans' cheris

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