From Valletta to Hollywood: Why Jimmy Kimmel’s Defence of Comedians Hits Home in Malta

Late-night host Jimmy Kimmel’s on-air blast against “anti-American” pressure on comedians has struck a chord in Malta, where satirists, script-writers and stand-ups are watching Washington’s war on wisecracks and wondering if Valletta could be next.

“If the government starts threatening comedians, that’s anti-American,” Kimmel told his ABC audience after the White House floated new “civility guidelines” for late-night shows. The clip, already past 4 million views, lit up Maltese group chats within minutes, shared by everyone from university improv troupes to the island’s veteran cabaret crowd.

Why should a Maltese viewer care what happens in a Hollywood studio? Because the joke, locals say, is closer to home than it appears.

“Replace ‘American’ with ‘Maltese’ and you’ve got our 2021 ‘joke law’ debate all over again,” quips Wayne Hewitt, one half of the popular podcast *The Malta Uncut Show*. Hewitt is referring to the short-lived amendment that would have criminalised memes targeting politicians. Public backlash killed the Bill, but the memory lingers. “When powerful people say ‘we’re only asking for respect,’ what they usually mean is ‘shut up,’” he adds.

Malta’s comedy scene is tiny—one national TV channel, a handful of clubs, a summer season that leans heavily on tourist crowds—but it punches above its weight. From the legendary *Kaxxaturi* sketches that ridiculed Mintoff in the 80s to today’s *Ħadd Għalik* TikTok parodies, satire has served as the islands’ unofficial opposition.

“Satire is our safety valve,” explains Dr. Claudia Micallef, media historian at the University of Malta. “In a country where everyone knows everyone, laughing at the powerful together creates a rare moment of unity across party lines.”

That unity is now being stress-tested on two fronts. First, the proposed *Media Defamation Act* reform, quietly moving through parliamentary committees, would raise maximum fines for “insult” five-fold. Second, the national broadcaster, PBS, has begun requiring pre-screening of any guest “identified as a satirist or social-media influencer,” a rule slipped into last December’s editorial guidelines without announcement.

Culture Minister Owen Bonnici insists the measures are “proportionate” and designed to protect citizens from “disinformation.” But local comics aren’t buying it.

“They’re using the same language we’re hearing from the U.S.,” says stand-up Sarah Camilleri, fresh from a sold-out run at Spazju Kreattiv where she roasted everything from passport sales to roadworks. “First it’s ‘civility,’ then it’s ‘national image,’ and suddenly you need a lawyer to tell a joke about traffic.”

Camilleri’s fears are not abstract. Last month, popular Facebook page *Tista’ Tgħidli* received a police summons after posting a spoof tender for “a tunnel between Malta and corruption.” The complaint, filed by a private company, was eventually dropped, but creators say the chill arrived the moment the uniform knocked on the door.

The Kimmel clip has therefore become a rallying flag. On Saturday, the non-profit *Comedians for Free Expression* projected the host’s six-second quote—“threatening comedians is anti-American”—onto the Valletta waterfront, swapping the last word for “Maltese.” A 30-second video of the stunt garnered 60,000 local views in 24 hours.

Beyond the laughs, the issue carries economic weight. Malta’s budding comedy festival, *Laugh Malta*, attracted 8,000 tourists last May, injecting an estimated €1.2 million into Gozo hotels and Valletta restaurants. Organisers warn that self-censorship could erode the programme’s edge, making it harder to sell tickets abroad.

“People don’t fly to Malta to hear safe jokes they could get at a corporate dinner,” says festival director Chris Sansone. “They come for the sharp, irreverent voice that only a crowded island with 365 churches and one traffic light can produce.”

As Parliament prepares to resume debate on the defamation reform in October, Malta’s comics are borrowing Kimmel’s spotlight to demand the last laugh. A petition launched Monday—headlined “Keep Malta Funny”—has already collected 5,000 signatures, helped by viral tweets from visiting British comedian Mark Steel, who called Malta “the funniest tax haven you’ve never been to.”

Whether lawmakers listen or double-down remains to be seen. But one thing is certain: in a country where politics and parish festas both compete for headline space, silencing satire isn’t just un-American—it’s un-Maltese.