Last Friday (and Saturday), we supported the right of ABC’s corporate leaders to ignore bullying comments by Federal Communications Commission (FCC) Chairman Brendan Carr and produce the late-night show, “Jimmy Kimmel Love!” to their heart’s content.
I’m happy to hear that ABC will bring Kimmel back tonight.
Not glad because I like him or will watch his show. I don’t. I won’t. I’d cancel him were it up to me. But freedom’s tops, so I get especially jazzed when people stand up to demand it.
And concerned when those in power attempt to take it away.
The very potent public backlash against the idea that ABC was muscled by the Trump administration into suspending Kimmel’s show is why it has returned. That’s a healthy sign of our political culture. Plus, take note that this pushback against the FCC chairman and President Trump hasn’t come just from the Left but also, as The Wrap reports, from many prominent conservatives including “Tucker Carlson, Ben Shapiro and Ted Cruz.”
What Kimmel alleged — that the murderer of Charlie Kirk was somehow MAGA — was not only “without evidence” but clearly contradicted by the evidence. As well as being asinine on its face. And more than a bit callous.
Still, freedom of speech means the freedom to say what you think, no matter how boneheaded, whether those in power like it or not.
Sinclair Broadcast Group, owner of the largest chain of ABC affiliates, has already announced that its stations will not be airing Kimmel’s program. As is their right.
Stick with freedom of speech, Mr. President. For all.
This is Common Sense. I’m Paul Jacob.
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10 replies on “Free Jimmy”
“The very potent public backlash against the idea that ABC was muscled by the Trump administration”
It wasn’t the public backlash; it was terroristic threats and actions by the Left.
Don’t know the internal discussions at Disney/ABC, but I stand by the public backlash as the bigger driver here.
Thank God for people like you that can remain impartial on the 1st amendment. It’s there to protect those who are smart enough to vocally posture to government tyranny,as well as, fools, idiots, and there mass of morons who follow them.
Defending the 1st Amendment constantly requires one to defend fools and idiots and loudmouths. That we must because idea of free speech is the best thing that ever happened to mankind.
Disney/Iger look like free speech heros to people like you but they will soon cancel his show because the affiliates — the stations the have FCC licenses and need viewers/advertisers to make money will drop Kimmel because he’ll continue to lose viewers and advertisers’ money. Money talks and Kimmel will eventually walk. That’s called capitalism.
Surely nothing I said suggests Disney is run by heroes. That’s not my view. I’m applauding the American people who hate censorship and endorse free speech.
Never watched Kimmel. Never will. Disney is destroying itself as it moves further and further to the left. How many customers who subscribed to their streaming services have abandoned them?
Wow Paul, you got this one wrong BIG time. If you’d done some journalistic research, you’d have realized that reinstating Kimmel’s show had nothing, NOTHING to do with Disney/Iger protecting free speech. It is and has always been about money. After Disney suspended Kimmel’s show, Disney’s stock dropped almost $5B — yes, B as in billion from from September 17 to today September 23.
If you’d done some additional homework you would have found that Kimmel’s show has lost approximately 72% of its crucial 25 – 54 advertiser demographic viewers over the last decade, plummeting from roughly 1 million in 2015 to about 261,000 in 2025. The show’s total viewership also declined significantly, with a 37% drop in nightly average viewers between 2015 and 2025, from 2.4 million to 1.6 million. EVen more research would have shown you that Kimmel isn’t the only one of the late night pinheads who have and those issues. Yep, there is no more comedy about Late Night TV — it’s all hate and lies.
It’s the affiliates stations — the one’s with FCC licenses that have and will continue to drop Kimmel and the rest of those useful idiots because they can’t afford to lose money. I believe Disney will keep Kimmel and take the financial hit, because they’ve got deep pockets, like how billionaire oligarch Bezo and Washington Post are losing money but he keeps absorbing those losses because they are idealogues and hate President Trump.
If they bring him back he will continue to cost them millions. I think it’s hilarious.
I haven’t watched late night TV since Carson.
Kimmel didn’t say that Robison was MAGA. He said that MAGA was hoping that he wasn’t MAGA because that wouldn’t look good since the rest of his family was MAGA.
You have to pay attention Paul!