Jolie joins stars condemning US free speech clampdown after Disney suspends Jimmy Kimmel
Angelina Jolie has voiced deep concern over the state of freedom of speech in the United States, declaring: “I don’t recognise my country.”
Speaking at the San Sebastián film festival in Spain on Sunday, the Oscar-winning actor was asked what she feared most as both an artist and an American. Her answer was stark.
“I love my country, but at this time, I don’t recognise my country,” Jolie said. “Anything anywhere that divides or limits personal expressions and freedoms from anyone, I think, is very dangerous.” She added: “These are such serious times that we have to be careful not to say things casually. These are very, very heavy times we are living in together.”
Her remarks come just days after the suspension of Jimmy Kimmel Live! by ABC, owned by Disney, following criticism from Brendan Carr, chair of the Federal Communications Commission (FCC). Carr objected to Kimmel’s comments about the fatal shooting of right-wing activist Charlie Kirk. The comedian had said: “The MAGA gang [is] desperately trying to characterise this kid who murdered Charlie Kirk as anything other than one of them.”
Disney’s decision to suspend Kimmel has sparked a storm of anger across Hollywood, including among the company’s own stars.
Mark Ruffalo, who has played the Hulk in Marvel’s Avengers films, condemned the move on Threads, warning Disney’s stock would “go down a lot further if they cancel” Kimmel permanently. Speaking in a separate protest video, Ruffalo said: “It is the US government that is now suppressing the freedom of speech … authoritarian regimes, fascist regimes have to degrade our freedoms more and more over time until we’re living the smallest, the most frightened, the most secretive lives. Think of yourselves living under the Taliban, because that’s where we’re headed.”
Pedro Pascal, who starred in Disney’s Fantastic Four: First Steps earlier this year and is due to appear in The Mandalorian and Grogu and Avengers: Doomsday in 2026, wrote on Instagram: “Defend #FreeSpeech. Defend #DEMOCRACY.”
Other Disney-linked names have joined the revolt. Tatiana Maslany (She-Hulk) urged followers to cancel their Disney+ subscriptions. Showrunner Damon Lindelof, creator of Lost, pledged he would not work with Disney again unless Kimmel is reinstated. “If it isn’t, I can’t in good conscience work for the company that imposed it,” he posted.
Olivia Rodrigo, who launched her career with Disney shows, called the suspension “blatant censorship and abuse of power,” while Dan Gilroy, Emmy-winning writer of Andor, compared the move to his show’s depiction of a “fascist takeover.” He wrote: “Donald Trump’s tools of governance, coercion and intimidation, have found focus on Hollywood. Faced with an FCC head threatening ‘they can do this the easy way or hard way,’ Disney suspended Jimmy Kimmel for speaking his mind.”
Hundreds of protesters gathered outside Disney headquarters over the weekend, carrying signs accusing the company of betraying American values.
For Jolie, whose career has included starring roles in Disney blockbusters such as Maleficent and Marvel’s Eternals, the issue is broader than one presenter or one company. Her comments underscored the growing fear among public figures that political interference is eroding artistic freedom.
“My worldview is equal, united and international,” she told the audience in San Sebastián. “Anything that divides or limits personal expressions and freedoms from anyone, I think, is very dangerous.”
As the battle between Hollywood, corporate power and Washington escalates, Jolie’s words may echo beyond the red carpets and boardrooms—an alarm bell warning that the freedoms once taken for granted in America are now under threat.