American Broadcasting Company (ABC) News returned “Jimmy Kimmel Live!” to its late-night slot on Tuesday after suspending the show “indefinitely.”
Kimmel had received backlash after making comments about the man who shot right-wing influencer Charlie Kirk, with public criticism coming from the current administration and prompting a quarter of the network’s stations to opt out of airing the new episode.
In a monologue the Monday after the shooting, Kimmel had said that MAGA conservatives had been trying to paint the killer as “anything other than one of them” and desperately using it to “score political points.” The remarks caused backlash from conservative media outlets for what they deemed as misconstruing the politics of the killer. Yet, Kimmel had sent his regards the day of the murder on Instagram to Kirk’s family. And in his recent episode, he made it clear that “it was never [his] intention to make light of the murder of a young man. [He doesn’t] think there’s anything funny about it.”
“Most of all, I want to thank the people who don’t support my show and what I believe, but support my right to share those beliefs anyway,” Kimmel said.
The suspension occurred shortly after Brendan Carr, chairman of the Federal Communications Commission (FCC), took an interview on a right-wing podcast. He called Kimmel’s remarks “truly sick” and concluded that “we can do this the easy way or the hard way. These companies can find ways to change conduct, and take action, frankly, on Kimmel, or there’s going to be additional work for the FCC ahead.”
Reporters have described Carr as threatening Kimmel with mafioso behavior, sending a message to other artists and activists that dissent of conservative figures could potentially carry serious consequences. Carr, who believes that he can reserve the power to withhold broadcasting licenses that do not serve the public interest, has been known to criticize liberal media outlets.
Numerous artists and activists stood up in protest against these tactics. More than 400 artists signed a petition with the American Civil Liberties Union in defense of free speech after Kimmel’s suspension.
The day of Kimmel’s return, President Donald Trump posted, “I can’t believe ABC Fake News gave Jimmy Kimmel his job back…I think we’re going to test ABC out on this.” The president is threatening to take legal measures and sue the network for their actions. He had previously called the suspension “Great News for America,” congratulating ABC for “finally having the courage to do what had to be done.” Many observers have noted that these comments are extreme, given that Kimmel’s show is comedy-based.
And many fans and nonfans alike did not see ABC’s decision as an act of courage, but rather of fear: the fear of retaliation from the current administration for exercising their fundamental First Amendment rights.
Other instances of cancellations have been occurring with other talkshow hosts. Columbia Broadcasting System (CBS) News recently announced that Stephen Colbert’s show would end in May. The news upset many fans, including second-year student Penelope Cloonan.
“I think political comedy is a really accessible way for people to kind of engage with the news,” Cloonan said. “People will engage with it on their level because comedy is funny, and they’re able to be entertained and actually learn something about the world. So I see the loss of political comedy shows as a real detriment to our ability to have civic responsibility.”