LOS ANGELES (OC).–When late night host Jimmy Kimmel was suspended indefinitely by ABC for his comments about Charlie Kirk’s assassination yesterday, the left claimed he had his First Amendment right violated. Kimmel said Monday night on his show that Kirk’s assassin Tyler Robinson was part of the “MAGA gang,” not part of any leftist group that had an reason at all to take Kirk out. Kimmel said to his live audience and in TV land that MAGA was trying to “score political points” by calling Robinson a left wing radical. Federal Communication Commission [FCC] Chairman Brendan Carr said there are provisions in FCC rules that prohibit the deliberate use of propaganda and disinformation to advance a political agenda. Kimmel’s remarks implied that Kirk’s assassin was really part of the MAGA crowd, trying to blame leftist radicals for the assassination.
Whether or not Kimmel’s comments break any FCC rules, they seems to run afoul with community standards for decency, making his statements offensive or unacceptable based on community ethics. “The MAGA Gang [is] 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,” Kimmel said Monday on his show. “In between finger pointing, there was grieving,” referring to MAGA folks blaming the left for the assassination. Gov. Spencer Cox, with the best intel from local police and FBI, said the shooter was “deeply indoctrinated with leftist ideology,” citing recently released text messages that he had “enough of [Kirk’s] hatred,” Cox said. Cox doesn’t know Robinson’s state-of-mind, not knowing what goes into a young person taking such extreme actions.
Kimmel’s statements were nothing new, spending the last nine years since Trump’s first presidency, using the bulk of his monologue on slamming Trump and his MAGA movement. So, it’s puzzling to Free Speech advocates not knowing community decency standards that also apply to the First Amendment. FCC Chairman Brendan Carr said Kimmel crossed a dangerous line spewing deliberately false information about the assassin. Carr accused Kimmel of “appearing to direct mislead the American public about a significant fact, “pertaining to “the most significant political assassination we’ve seen in a long time,” Carr said, showing where Kimmel did more than just offend the public. Nexstar Communications, a major operator of ABC-affiliated stations, said it would not broadcast Jimmy Kimmel Live for the “foreseeable future” because it “strongly objects to recent comments made by Mr. Kimmel concerning the killing of Charlie Kirk.”
Nexstar Communications is looking for approval on a $6.2 billion acquisition of Tegna, another major U.S. broadcaster, something the FCC must approve. So, when CBS late night host Stephen Colbert was fired by CBS July 17, the same question was raised about the FCC approving a merger between Paramount Global, CBS parent company, and $8.4 billion Skydance entertainment. CBS said Colbert was terminated due to ratings and financial issues, not any pending mergers or acquisitions. When it comes to ABC’s recent decision on Kimmel, there’s enough opposition to Kimmel’s public remarks than to attribute the decision to ABC’s expected $8.4 billion merger with Tegna media. Kimmel has been pushing the limits for years attacking Trump in his nightly monologue, something Free Speech advocates see is his creative rights under the First Amendment.
Trump had his own take on why Kimmel was canned by ABC Sept. 17. “Congratulations to ABC for finally having the courage to do what has to be done,” Trump wrote on Truth Social. Trump didn’t seek Kimmel’ following as having anything to do with Free Speech but only a business decision. “Kimmel was fired b ecause he had bad ratings more than anything else,” Trump said, not accounting for why Nexstar and Sinclair Communications decided to stop carrying “Jimmy Kimmel Live.” “Jiommy Kimmel is not a talented person, he had very bad ratings and they should have fired him a long time ago,” Trump said. “So you know, you can call that free speech or no. He was fired for a lack of talent,” Trump said. Whatever Trump feels about Kimmel, two major media orgaizations refused to continue airing his show because of his offensive words.
ABC did what was necessary as a business decision to “preempt indefinitely” “Jimmy Kimmel Live,” for whatever reason. Liberals want to blame it on a conspiracy at ABC that needs FCC approval to complete a $6.2 billion deal with Tegna media. Whatever that’s about, Kimmel crossed the line when he said the Charlie Kirk assassin Tyler Robinson was part of the MAGA crowd, with Trump exploiting the situation to push the MAGA agenda. When a major media figure like Kirk is gunned down like a dog, late night hosts must refrain from incendiary remarks regarding his political leanings. Trump said Kimmel said “a horrible think about a great gentleman known as Charlie Kirk, blaming the assassin on his affiliation with the MAGA movement. Kimmel has crossed the line, pushing the limits, for the last nine years. Finally his extreme prejudice caught up with him.
About the Author
John M. Curtis writes politically neutral commentary analyzing spin in national and global news. He’s editor of OnlineColumnist.com and author of Dodging The Bullet and Operation Charisma.
