New York, New York - New York City's Democratic mayoral nominee Zohran Mamdani is looking to reschedule a planned WABC town hall after withdrawing following the suspension of Jimmy Kimmel's late-night talk show.

Mamdani has reached out to reschedule the town hall event with WABC, a local affiliate of ABC News, after Disney announced Kimmel would be back on the air.

Under pressure from the US government, Jimmy Kimmel Live! had been suspended by ABC, which is owned by Disney, over comments the comedian made in the wake of the shooting of far-right Turning Point USA co-founder Charlie Kirk.

The cancellation prompted Mamdani to back out of the town hall, scheduled for September 25, as a sign of his commitment to freedom of speech and freedom of the press.

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"I am withdrawing not as an indictment of the local affiliate or the hardworking journalists, but rather in response to the corporate leaders who have put their bottom line ahead of their responsibility in upholding the freedom of the press," the mayoral candidate explained.

"We cannot understand this moment of authoritarianism as solely coming from the White House, when it is also characterized by the cowardice of those in response to it – the cowardice that we have seen typified whether by the parent company of ABC or by so-called leaders like Andrew Cuomo and Eric Adams looking to the White House for their path to their future ambition."

Mamdani was speaking at Franklin D. Roosevelt's Four Freedoms State Park on Roosevelt Island. In his 1941 State of the Union address, FDR outlined four fundamental freedoms that all people ought to enjoy: freedom of speech and expression, freedom of worship, freedom from want, and freedom from fear.

"We have to understand who suffers in these moments," the 33-year-old state assembly member said. "It’s not just a question of Jimmy Kimmel himself, it’s also a question of the engineers, the writers, the musicians who are feeling this attack on the very city they call home."

"The message that it sends to each and every American across this country is a message that the First Amendment is no longer a right that can be counted on, but rather that it is the government which will determine what should and should not be discussed, what can and cannot be spoken."

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Mamdani is in the midst of a closely watched campaign to lead the nation's largest city. His platform calls for rent freezes, free buses, no-cost childcare, and city-owned grocery stores, as well as recognition of Palestinian human rights and increased protections for immigrants.

Recent polling data show Mamdani with a sizable lead ahead of the November 4 election. He is facing off against former Governor Andrew Cuomo and incumbent Mayor Eric Adams – both Democrats turned independents – as well as Republican nominee Curtis Sliwa.