ABC has caved to political pressure, suspending late-night show host Jimmy Kimmel for deviating from the approved MAGA script. Predictably, conservatives were made irate over the “Jimmy Kimmel Live!” Sept. 15 episode, when Kimmel satirically pointed the finger at right-wingers for the horrific murder of Charlie Kirk. Kimmel was shunned by affiliates for his “ill-timed and insensitive” commentary, jeopardizing the state of his show. His suspension was a sign of the times: the end of free speech.
In Kimmel’s controversial monologue, he stated, “We hit some new lows over the weekend with the MAGA gang desperately trying to characterize this kid who murdered Charlie Kirk as anything other than one of them.” Kimmel claimed Trump did not care about Kirk’s death, further promoting that the attention towards Kirk’s passing was all to “score political points.”
This angered many on the right, including Chairman of the Federal Communications Commission, Brendan Carr. Carr has unabashedly leveraged the agency’s power to silence liberal bias in broadcasts, threatening to withhold licenses if they do not serve public interest. In a stunning abuse of power, Carr smeared Kimmel’s satire as “the sickest conduct possible,” and weaponized the FCC, threatening to revoke ABC affiliates’ licenses as punishment. Republicans should not be reinforcing the idea of selected speech.
In the face of this controversy, Kimmel’s return was welcomed with a viewership of over 6 million during airtime, and he amassed 22 million views on YouTube, despite conservative channels boycotting the program. Sinclair and Nexstar preempted Kimmel, making the show unavailable to approximately a quarter of the U.S. audience.
During Kimmel’s Sept. 23 return episode, critics on the right immediately dismissed his monologue as a non-apology because no level of remorse will satisfy the conservative-manufactured outrage.
“It was never my intention to make light of the murder,” Kimmel said. “I don’t think the murderer who shot Charlie Kirk represents anyone. This was a sick person who believed violence was a solution, and it isn’t it, ever,” Kimmel said.
Carr is working on expanding the FCC’s reach far beyond its mandate to regulate TV, targeting programs he finds personally disagreeable. Conversely, Kimmel doubled down, “our government cannot be allowed to control what we do and do not say on TV. We have to stand up to it.” Meanwhile, Carr openly bragged about continuing the agency’s work to empower local TV stations to reject the shows they disagree with, continuing to urge censorship to a disturbing level.
If this does not wake America up, nothing will. Since Carr’s tirade to dismantle and disparage free speech, Trump rushed to post on Truth Social commending Carr as he is, “Smart, Tough, and a True American Patriot. He is supported by MAGA.” In other words, censorship is rewarded as long as it protects Trump’s fragile ego. Carr has gained relevance in the conservative sphere by criticizing the “outsourcing [of] censorship to the government,” claiming it “isn’t just a bad idea, it’s a violation of the First Amendment.”
Clearly, the idea of free speech does not apply when it questions Trump’s judgement, at least after he applauds one’s participation in fascist behavior. So much for the right’s “free speech” principles.
Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer claimed Kimmel’s removal was a “test of democracy.” Trump wants anyone he “doesn’t agree with he wants to shut up,” Schumer added. “That’s a dagger to the heart of America.”
Trump’s tendency to hypersensitivity has been a continued stress for Disney, as now he says he is going to “test ABC out on this.”
“Let’s see how we do. Last time I went after them, they gave me $16 million,” said Trump in reference to the network settling his lawsuit over comments made by anchor George Stephanopoulos. The looming threat to free speech has continued to be perpetuated by Trump.
Sinclair and Nexstar, which together own 70 ABC affiliates across the U.S., announced they would air Kimmel again. Sinclair rushed out a flimsy excuse, insisting that the companies’ preemption “was independent of any government interaction or influence.” This claim has questionable credibility, given Sinclair’s history of conservative politics.
Although broadcasts are complying and airing Kimmel again, his imminent removal has marked a pivotal point in what freedom of speech means to Americans now. The damage is done; Trump and his allies have made it clear that if speech offends them, silence is just retribution. If Republicans continue, free speech will be strangled under the guise of “public interest.”
