CNN’s Jake Tapper Reports in “No Laughing Matter: Free Speech Under Attack” for The Whole Story With Anderson Cooper
EPISODE PREMIERES SUNDAY, SEPTEMBER 28 AT 9PM ET/PT
NEW YORK, NY – (September 26, 2025) – The Whole Story with Anderson Cooper, a six-time Emmy® Award-winning CNN Original, returns with an examination of how Jimmy Kimmel ignited a fiery First Amendment debate across the country. “No Laughing Matter: Free Speech Under Attack” with CNN Anchor and Chief Washington Correspondent Jake Tapper premieres Sunday, September 28 at 9pm ET/PT on CNN.
In this episode of The Whole Story, Tapper traces the extraordinary events that led to this precarious moment for free speech in America. The episode centers around the murder of Charlie Kirk, which shocked a nation. Tapper explores how the Trump administration’s reaction to Kirk’s death culminated in comedian Jimmy Kimmel’s multi-day suspension from the air; and he explains the lesser-known business considerations at play that may have contributed to the decision. Tapper helps viewers make sense of this moment: examining the history of political comedy in late night, how both parties have made attempts to censor the media and control the narrative, and what President Trump’s unprecedented actions could spell for the future of the First Amendment.
The Whole Story with Anderson Cooper is a collection of unique and immersive single subject, one-hour episodes from CNN’s award-winning longform storytelling team showcasing character-driven stories, special interviews, and investigative deep dives featuring reporting from CNN’s anchors and correspondents. The series, which has been honored with two consecutive Emmy® Awards for Outstanding Recorded News Program, is executive produced by Susan Chun. Tapper has previously reported for The Whole Story in “D-Day: Why We Still Fight for Democracy” and “Justice Delayed: The Story of C.J. Rice.”
The Whole Story with Anderson Cooper will stream live for pay TV subscribers via CNN.com, CNN connected TV and mobile apps on Sunday, September 28. “No Laughing Matter: Free Speech Under Attack” will also be available on demand beginning Monday, September 29 to pay TV subscribers via CNN.com, CNN connected TV and mobile apps, and Cable Operator Platforms. Past episodes of The Whole Story are available to stream on demand now on Max.
The Whole Story is also available as a CNN Podcasts showcast. Visit CNN.com/audio or listen wherever you get your podcasts.
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About CNN Originals
The CNN Originals group develops, produces and acquires original, long-form unscripted programming for CNN Worldwide. Amy Entelis, executive vice president of talent, CNN Originals and creative development, oversees the award-winning CNN Originals portfolio that includes the following premium content brands: CNN Original Series, CNN Films, CNN Flashdocs, and CNN Studios. Since 2012, the team has overseen and executive produced more than 60 multi-part documentary series and 70 feature-length documentary films, earning more than 120 awards and 450 nominations for the cable network, including CNN Films’ first Academy Award® for Navalny. Acclaimed titles include the Peabody Award winning and 13-time Emmy® Award-winning Anthony Bourdain Parts Unknown; five time Emmy® nominee, Apollo 11, directed by Todd Douglas Miller; Carville: Winning is Everything, Stupid directed by Matt Tyrnauer; Emmy® nominated Eva Longoria: Searching for Mexico; the Emmy® Award-nominated “Decades Series”: The Sixties, The Seventies, The Eighties, The Nineties, The 2000s, and The 2010s, executive produced by Tom Hanks and Gary Goetzman; The Last Movie Stars, directed by Ethan Hawke about the lives and careers of actors and humanitarians Joanne Woodward and Paul Newman; the Emmy® Award winning Little Richard: I Am Everything, directed by Lisa Cortés; Luther Vandross: Never Too Much, directed by Dawn Porter; The Many Lives of Martha Stewart; Primetime Emmy® and duPont-Columbia Award-winning, RBG, directed by Betsy West and Julie Cohen; See It Loud: The History of Black Television, executive produced by LeBron James and Maverick Carter; Space Shuttle Columbia: The Final Flight in partnership with the BBC; the Producers Guild Award and three-time Emmy® Award-winning Stanley Tucci: Searching for Italy; This is Life with Lisa Ling; BAFTA nominee and Directors Guild Award winner, Three Identical Strangers, directed by Tim Wardle; the five-time Emmy® Award-winning United Shades of America with W. Kamau Bell; the American version of the long-running UK comedy series, Have I Got News For You, hosted by Roy Wood Jr; and the six-time Emmy® Award-winning The Whole Story with Anderson Cooper. CNN Originals can be seen on CNN, the CNN Original Hub on Max and discovery+, the CNN Originals FAST channel, and for pay TV subscription via CNN.com, CNN apps and cable operator platforms.
About Warner Bros. Discovery
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Press Contacts
The Whole Story Press Contact
Jake Tapper Press Contact