{"id":251400,"date":"2025-09-24T15:47:11","date_gmt":"2025-09-24T15:47:11","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/us\/251400\/"},"modified":"2025-09-24T15:47:11","modified_gmt":"2025-09-24T15:47:11","slug":"our-government-cannot-be-allowed-to-control-what-we-do-and-do-not-say-on-television","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/us\/251400\/","title":{"rendered":"‘Our government cannot be allowed to control what we do and do not say on television’"},"content":{"rendered":"

Jimmy Kimmel returned to ABC on Tuesday night, less than a week after Jimmy Kimmel Live! was abruptly suspended<\/a> over on-air comments<\/a> he made about the political response to the killing of conservative activist Charlie Kirk.<\/p>\n

Kimmel addressed the backlash to his remarks at the top of his opening monologue<\/a>. “It was never my intention to make light of the murder of a young man. I don\u2019t think there\u2019s anything funny about it,\u201d Kimmel said, his voice breaking with emotion. \u201cI understand that to some, that felt either ill-timed or unclear, or maybe both \u2014 and for those who think I did point a finger, I get why you\u2019re upset. If the situation was reversed, there\u2019s a good chance I\u2019d have felt the same way.”<\/p>\n

After thanking his fellow late-night hosts<\/a> for rallying around him, Kimmel said he felt even more grateful for “the people who don\u2019t support my show and what I believe but support my right to share those beliefs anyway.\u201d<\/p>\n

“People I never would have imagined, like Ben Shapiro, Clay Travis, Candace Owens, Mitch McConnell, Rand Paul \u2014 even my old pal Ted Cruz,” Kimmel said. \u201cIt takes courage for them to speak out against this administration. They did and they deserve credit for it.\u201d<\/p>\n

Ultimately, Kimmel continued, “this show is not important. What is important is that we get to live in a country that allows us to have a show like this.\u201d<\/p>\n

To that end, Kimmel criticized President Trump<\/a> and his administration for threatening to “silence a comedian the government doesn\u2019t like,” calling such actions “anti-American.”<\/p>\n

“Our government cannot be allowed to control what we do and do not say on television,” Kimmel said. “The president of the United States made it very clear he wants to see me and the hundreds of people who work here fired from our jobs. Our leader celebrates Americans losing their livelihoods because he can\u2019t take a joke.”<\/p>\n

Posting to his Truth Social network<\/a> shortly before Kimmel’s return, Trump called ABC “a true bunch of losers” for reviving Jimmy Kimmel Live! \u2014 then threatened to “test ABC out on this” with another lawsuit<\/a>. (Trump previously sued ABC and anchor George Stephanopoulos for defamation over an inaccurate comment \u2014 a suit that ABC settled in December).<\/p>\n

“[Kimmel] is yet another arm of the DNC and, to the best of my knowledge, that would be a major Illegal Campaign Contribution,” Trump wrote, without providing any evidence. “Last time I went after them, they gave me $16 Million Dollars. This one sounds even more lucrative.”<\/p>\n

ABC announced last Wednesday that its popular late-night show would be suspended \u201cindefinitely\u201d<\/a> in response to Kimmel\u2019s remarks.<\/p>\n

\u201cLast 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,\u201d the Walt Disney Company, which owns ABC, said in a statement on Monday. \u201cIt 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.\u201d<\/p>\n

Prior to Tuesday night, Kimmel did not comment publicly on the controversy. His on-air sidekick, Guillermo Rodriguez, posted a celebratory message<\/a> on Instagram after the show’s return was announced. “We are back full of love,” he wrote.<\/p>\n

During his monologue on Sept. 15<\/a>, Kimmel said that Trump\u2019s supporters were trying to \u201cscore political points\u201d by portraying Kirk\u2019s accused killer, 22-year-old Tyler Robinson, as a left-wing radical while “desperately trying to characterize [Robinson] as anything other than one of them.”<\/p>\n

His comments prompted Nexstar, which owns hundreds of TV stations across the country<\/a>, to say it would preempt Kimmel\u2019s show on all of its affiliates. Disney<\/a> responded by pausing production on the show. The chairman of the Federal Communications Commission, Brendan Carr, had threatened to \u201ctake action\u201d against Kimmel for his comments earlier that day.<\/p>\n

\u201cLook, we can do this the easy way or the hard way,\u201d Carr said during a conversation with conservative podcaster Benny Johnson.<\/p>\n

More than 400 Hollywood stars signed a letter published Monday that condemned the \u201cthreats to our freedom of speech\u201d<\/a> they believe Kimmel\u2019s suspension represents.<\/p>\n

\u201cRegardless of our political affiliation, or whether we engage in politics or not, we all love our country,\u201d the letter said. \u201cWe also share the belief that our voices should never be silenced by those in power \u2014 because if it happens to one of us, it happens to all of us.\u201d<\/p>\n

\"Demonstrators<\/p>\n

Demonstrators outside of Walt Disney Studios in Burbank, Calif., on Sept. 18. (Jae C. Hong\/AP)<\/p>\n

Other late-night hosts also stood behind Kimmel<\/a>.<\/p>\n

\u201cThis is a big moment in our democracy, and we must all stand up for the principles of free expression,\u201d Seth Meyers, host of NBC\u2019s Late Night, said last week. \u201cThere\u2019s a reason free speech is in the very first amendment. It stands above all others.\u201d<\/p>\n

Even some of Trump\u2019s most dedicated political allies expressed concerns about the implications of pulling someone off the air over their political comments.<\/p>\n

\u201cI think it is unbelievably dangerous for government to put itself in the position of saying we\u2019re going to decide what speech we like and what we don\u2019t, and we\u2019re going to threaten to take you off air if we don\u2019t like what you\u2019re saying,\u201d Republican Sen. Ted Cruz of Texas said on his podcast on Friday.<\/p>\n

The Trump administration has pushed back on the implication that Kimmel\u2019s suspension represents government censorship.<\/p>\n

\u201cThis is about Nexstar and Sinclair vs. Disney, and that\u2019s ultimately a business decision,\u201d Carr told conservative radio host Dana Loesch last week.<\/p>\n

Trump, who praised<\/a> ABC for its \u201ccourage\u201d when news of the suspension broke, argued that the decision had to do with Kimmel\u2019s talent and popularity, not the government\u2019s intervention.<\/p>\n

\u201cHe had very bad ratings and they should have fired him a long time ago,\u201d Trump said, referring to the suspension, during a trip to the United Kingdom last week. \u201cSo, you know, you can call that free speech or not. He was fired for lack of talent.\u201d<\/p>\n

ABC\u2019s decision to end Kimmel\u2019s suspension does not necessarily mean the show will be available in all markets<\/a>. Sinclair Inc., the largest owner of ABC affiliates in the country, announced on Monday that it will not be airing<\/a> the show on any of its 185 stations<\/a>.<\/p>\n

“Discussions with ABC are ongoing as we evaluate the show\u2019s potential return,” the company said in a statement.<\/p>\n

Nexstar said on Tuesday morning it would also preempt Kimmel’s show<\/a>.<\/p>\n

\u201cDisney and ABC caving and allowing [Kimmel] back on the air is not surprising, but it\u2019s their mistake to make,\u201d Andrew Kolvet<\/a>, a spokesman for Turning Point USA, wrote on social media. \u201c[Nexstar] and Sinclair do not have to make the same choice.\u201d<\/p>\n

In a statement, Anna Gomez, the lone Democrat in the FCC\u2019s leadership, made the case<\/a> that the battle over freedom of expression isn\u2019t over, regardless of what happens with Kimmel\u2019s show.<\/p>\n

\u201cIt will continue to be up to us as citizens to push back against this Administration\u2019s growing campaign of censorship and control,\u201d she wrote.<\/p>\n