Kimmel Chaos
Jimmy Kimmel returned to his late-night show to cheers and applause on Tuesday, after ABC reversed its decision to remove “Jimmy Kimmel Live!” from its network for comments the host made on Charlie Kirk’s murder.
During the Sept. 15 taping of “Jimmy Kimmel Live,” the host claimed supporters of President Donald Trump were politicizing conservative activist Charlie Kirk’s murder for “points.” The following day, the chairman of the Federal Communications Commission, Brendan Carr, went on the “Benny Show” podcast to condemn Kimmel and remind the Walt Disney-owned ABC network about the FCC’s ability to revoke broadcasting licenses.
“We can do this the easy way or the hard way,” Carr said. In response, Disney announced it would indefinitely suspend Kimmel’s show.
The announcement immediately sparked protests and calls for a boycott. On Sept. 18, the Writers Guild of America and other labor unions organized a morning protest at Disney Headquarters in Burbank, Calif. In the afternoon, over 100 people protested outside El Capitan Entertainment Centre in Hollywood, where “Jimmy Kimmel Live!” is staged.
“Everybody from ABC, to the law firms, to the universities, who capitulates to Donald Trump is enabling fascism,” said Sunsara Taylor, a far-left political activist and founder of Resist Fascism at the El Capitan protest.
Taylor said, “We need to say no. We need to stand up and have the backs of every single person who comes under attack, whether we agree with them or not. We need to have their backs and wake up the tens of millions of people in this country.”
Protesters raised concerns over government overreach. Some warned that punishing comedians for their controversial statements sets a dangerous precedent. “They're taking away our right to speak,” said Christopher Stanley, a Santa Monica College alumnus.
Stanley voiced his dissatisfaction and recommended that the FCC reinstate the Fairness Doctrine, a policy that required broadcasters to present differing viewpoints. It gives “two points of view rather than just one. If they want to regulate people, let's get Fox News in here,” he said.
The protests continued through the weekend, and the call for a boycott went viral across social media platforms under “#CancelDisney,” ultimately reducing Disney’s market value by $5 billion. Legislators from both sides of the political aisle also began to criticise Carr’s response. Texas Sen. Ted Cruz called Disney's decision "unbelievably dangerous" and warned that it will “end up bad for conservatives” on his podcast, “Verdict” with Ted Cruz.
The American Civil Liberties Union wrote a letter on Monday, Sept. 22, signed by over 400 entertainers, decrying the government's attempts to “silence its critics.”
The same day, members of the Democratic delegation stood alongside union leaders outside the Dolby Theater in Hollywood to protest and hold a press conference. “You do not get to cancel the United States Constitution, not today, not tomorrow, not on our watch,” said Rep. Laura Friedman, D-Calif., to the crowd, while holding a large poster of the First Amendment.
Rep. Judy Chu, D-Calif., spoke against the FCC’s attempt to censor speech, calling it an “authoritarian crackdown on our right to free speech.” While Rep. Ted Lieu, D-Calif., urged Disney to reinstate Kimmel, sue the federal government, and stand up to the “radical extremist” Brendan Carr.
Union leaders and politicians emphasized the impact that capitulating to the FCC would have on the entertainment industry. According to Rep. Ted Lieu, D-Calif., if ABC doesn’t stand up to the FCC and the “radical extremist” Brendan Carr it’ll only get worse, and urged them to sue the federal government.
William Gude, known online as Film the Police LA, confronted several congress members after the press conference over their decisions to vote yes on House Resolution 719, Honoring the life and legacy of Charles "Charlie" James Kirk, after Kirk’s controversial remarks about Martin Luther King. “I voted to freaking condemn political violence,” yelled Lieu into the camera after Gude kept repeating the question.
Within an hour of the press conference, ABC reversed its decision to suspend Kimmel. “Last Wednesday, we made the decision to suspend production on the show to avoid further inflaming a tense situation at an emotional moment for our country,” Disney said in a statement. “It is a decision we made because we felt some of the comments were ill-timed and thus insensitive.”
“We have spent the last days having thoughtful conversations with Jimmy, and after those conversations, we reached the decision to return the show on Tuesday,” the statement continued.
In the hour before Kimmel’s first show since his removal, President Trump took to Truth Social to criticize Disney’s reinstatement. He called Kimmel’s show “another arm of the DNC” and insinuated that the White House will be taking action.
Nexstar Media Group and Sinclair Broadcast Group, which together own over 70 ABC affiliate stations and broadcast close to a quarter of American households, have vowed to preempt “Jimmy Kimmel Live,” and replace it with news programming. Both Nexstar and Sinclair have pending business requiring approval with the FCC, with Sinclair exploring merger options and Nexstar requesting approval for a $6.2 billion merger with Tegna.
Kimmel returned to his show on Tuesday, with tears in his eyes, and said, “You understand that it was never my intention to make light of the murder of a young man. I don’t think there is anything funny about it.” He described Kirk's murderer as a “deeply disturbed individual,” and recanted his previous comment, before he reiterated his condolences to the Kirk family and condemned political violence.