While some have reported that evangelical Christians largely agree with the removal of Jimmy Kimmel from the air waves, others who profess the same evangelical faith have publicly warned about the ban on free speech regardless of one’s political lean.

Northeast Valley News wanted to find out if current and some alumni from the Valley’s largest self-described evangelical Christian University agreed with the ban on Kimmel. 

Northeast Valley News, in an unscientific, random sample poll asked for reaction over the cancellation of the Jimmy Kimmel show as well as the subsequent removal of it from many station affiliates across the nation—bans still in place, specifically from Sinclair and Nexstar.

“Yeah, I believe first and foremost in the right to speak freely, no matter what,” said Mark Camponelli, a student at GCU. “I think it’s what makes us different and better than the countries who make it illegal to speak up or protest, like China.” 

Sarah Lopez told Northeast Valley News, “I don’t have to agree with someone, I actually don’t agree with a lot about what has been said after Charlie Kirk’s shooting, but I want to be able to say what I want, whenever I want and also, I have some friends who don’t see things as I do—and I say, so what?” 

Another student who moved to Phoenix from the East Coast in order to attend GCU on a sports scholarship but wished to remain anonymous said, “I like Jimmy Kimmel and honestly, I don’t see the big deal in what he said. It wasn’t bad. I mean it may have been a little rude, but not hate—nah, not at all.” 

Some students declined responding to the poll, one saying, “Um, yeah, I’m not gonna touch that one.” While others described the tragic event as being “disgustingly overhyped” or “militant political” instead of bringing attention to extreme violence divisiveness and what another student referred to as “a mental health epidemic feeding fear and a desire to rage at whoever disagrees with you.” Most students said they support and defend free speech along with a strict adherence to the Constitution—one student told Northeast Valley News they understood the “sting” of selective free speech when they felt silenced over their religious beliefs. 

More than 25 students current and alum polled were asked, “Should Jimmy Kimmel be allowed to stay on the air?”

Out of those polled, one student who asked not to be identified, adamantly defended his opinion and said, “No, Kimmel should be off the air, he went too far,” even though the same student admitted when asked what exactly about Kimmel’s statement warranted being pulled off the air, the student couldn’t recall what Kimmel actually said—but added he heard from two of the conservative social media influencers he follows, strongly condemned Kimmel’s statement.