What a week it has been for America’s late-night TV, satire, and First Amendment. Americans’ right to free speech, something I believe all of us take for granted, has been thrown into question.
After being “suspended indefinitely” on Sept. 17, ABC’s “Jimmy Kimmel Live” returned to air the following Tuesday night, but what exactly did Kimmel say that caused his suspension in the first place? According to the Federal Communications Commission (FCC) and news outlets covering the story, what got the host in trouble were his comments on the assassination of right-wing activist and influencer, Charlie Kirk.
However, when I went to YouTube and watched Kimmel’s opening monologue from the night of Sept. 15, I, along with many other viewers, was very confused as to what exactly was so offensive about Kimmel’s words. The late-night TV host absolutely clocked the right in their desperate attempts to remove Kirk’s suspected killer as far from their group as possible.
In a press conference, Utah Governor Spencer Cox admitted to praying that the killer wouldn’t be “one of us,” hoping that someone drove from another state or country. Other members of the right did the same thing, claiming the shooter was trans, liberal, an immigrant, any label they could think of to diminish association.
Kimmel’s exact words were, “we hit some new lows this week with the MAGA gang desperately trying to characterise this kid who murdered Charlie Kirk as anything other than one of them and doing everything they can to score political points from it.” An accurate take. He also went on to make fun of President Donald Trump, which is nothing new. But due to outrage from said MAGA gang as well as Trump, the channel ABC — which is owned by Disney — refused to air the show. Brendan Carr, who was appointed by Trump as chairman of the FCC, called for the suspension.
Needless to say, the right is furious over the death of the conservative influencer, and punishing Kimmel for literally doing his job as a political comedian and critic of MAGA is a reflection of this fury and fear on an institutional level of punishment by the administration. It has been made ridiculously obvious that Trump and his supporters will target those who have chosen not to mourn Kirk or have publicly expressed any sort of disagreement with the politics he promoted.
Side note: Kirk’s shooting has done nothing but further the political spectrum’s transition into that of a binary. This is why political violence is not a solution. Cut off one Kirk, and seventeen more will grow in his place, ordering Mint Majesty tea from Starbucks and continuing the spread of hate and division.
Many have lost their jobs and face public scrutiny. Figures from various political opinions and positions have stated their disapproval over the suspension and have named it for what it is: blatant, unconstitutional censorship. Our favorite conservative garden gnome, Ted Cruz, went on a right-wing podcast and called Kimmel’s suspension “dangerous as hell” and cautioned that the FCC’s punishment of certain speech creates a frightening precedent that leaves both political parties vulnerable. To see people from multiple corners of the political spectrum express concern is both comforting and alarming.
