First Stephen Colbert, today Jimmy Kimmel.
ABC just made a shocking decision — the late-night comedian has been pulled from the air “indefinitely” just one night after making controversial comments about Charlie Kirk! OMG!
During Monday night’s show, the host referenced the assassination of the Turning Point USA founder while also mocking President Donald Trump. He said in part:
“We anthem 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 and doing everything they can to score political points from it.”
Charlie was killed on September 10 while discussing politics at Utah Valley University. 22-year-old Utah native Tyler Robinson has been taken into custody and charged with aggravated murder.
Related: Taylor Swift Terrified Of Very Real ‘Threats’ After Charlie Murder!
movie at 2 minutes in:
https://www.youtube.com/movie?v=-j3YdxNSzTk
He continued to criticize the way “many in MAGA land are working very hard to capitalize on the murder of Charlie Kirk” on Tuesday and slammed JD Vance‘s appearance on the conservative’s online show.
See (below) with these comments starting at 6:12:
https://www.youtube.com/movie?v=aHT7ICvMtlA
Naturally, there were many upset with his comments, which sparked outrage from the show’s distributor Nexstar. On Wednesday, Nexstar announced it would not be airing the Jimmy Kimmel Live! show on the many stations it owns across the country because they disagreed with Jimmy’s POV:
“Nexstar’s owned and partner television stations affiliated with the ABC Television Network will preempt Jimmy Kimmel Live! for the foreseeable future beginning with tonight’s show. Nexstar strongly objects to recent comments made by Mr. Kimmel concerning the killing of Charlie Kirk and will replace the show with other programming in its ABC-affiliated markets.”
And ABC agrees! Just minutes after this announcement, a spokesperson for the channel told Deadline:
“Jimmy Kimmel Live! will be preempted indefinitely.”
Wow!
Alarmed by this, American lawyer and independent journalist Aaron Parnas said on Substack:
“Kimmel’s comments did not advocate violence, nor did they celebrate Kirk’s death, according to those defending him. Yet outrage — amplified by political sensitivities and corporate interests — was enough to shutter a decades-long staple of late-night television.
This illustrates how quickly speech can be punished when political or financial pressure outweighs editorial independence. What once was the domain of public debate — criticizing, disagreeing, or challenging words spoken — has today become a zero-sum game of erasure.”
He continued:
“The decision underscores the extraordinary power media conglomerates and distributors hold over cultural voices. With Nexstar owning dozens of ABC affiliates, its disapproval effectively silenced Kimmel across wide swaths of the country. ABC’s compliance only reinforces the danger: when distributors and networks act in lockstep, dissenting voices are not debated — they are deleted.”
The attorney speculated this could encourage those in the spotlight to stay silent about any political matters:
“If this becomes the norm, no figure in the public eye, regardless of political leaning, is safe from being pulled ‘indefinitely’ when their words displease powerful stakeholders.
Beyond Kimmel, the deeper danger lies in the chilling effect this sets for all media figures, entertainers, and journalists. If the cost of expressing opinions — however clumsy or controversial—is corporate cancellation, the incentive will shift from speaking truth to power toward speaking nothing at all.”
Aaron noted:
“The paradox here is striking: groups that decry ‘cancel culture’ have, in effect, practiced it at scale. The result is a narrowed media ecosystem where only safe, sanitized speech survives, and audiences are deprived of the full spectrum of perspectives.
What happened to Jimmy Kimmel Live! is not just about a late-night host or a single corporate decision. It is a flashing red warning sign of how fragile the foundations of free discourse have become in the United States. The ability to debate, criticize, and disagree is the essence of democracy. Suppressing it — whether from government censors or corporate gatekeepers — threatens the very infrastructure of free society.
Today it is Jimmy Kimmel. Tomorrow, it could be any voice that dares to step outside the lines drawn by those in power.”
As mentioned, this comes after Stephen Colbert’s show The Late Show was canceled earlier this summer after he spoke critically of POTUS. While celebrating the cancelation, Trump said on Truth Social at the time:
“I hear Jimmy Kimmel is next. Has even less talent than Colbert!”
By the way, it’s important to note that Jimmy was criticizing (mostly politicians’) reactions to the murder. A week ago, when the shooting occurred, he condemned the violence and sent condolences to Kirk’s family, reacting on social media by writing:
“Instead of the angry finger-pointing, can we just for one day agree that it is horrible and monstrous to shoot another human? On behalf of my family, we send love to the Kirks and to all the children, parents and innocents who fall victim to senseless gun violence.”
Thoughts? Share ’em (below).
[Image via ABC/Charlie Kirk/YouTube & MEGA/WENN]
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