Man, you gotta hand it to ABC. The velocity with which it is going to knuckle underneath to President Donald Trump is absolutely spectacular.
It took only some hours for the powers that be to indefinitely sideline award-winning late-night host Jimmy Kimmel after the Trump administration expressed displeasure with Kimmel’s current monologue.
Let’s peep this timeline. On Wednesday afternoon, Federal Communications Fee Chair Brendan Carr went on Benny Johnson’s podcast, which is seemingly the place the federal government broadcasts investigations now, and threatened ABC over remarks Kimmel made about Charlie Kirk’s killer. By early night, ABC had pulled Kimmel’s present indefinitely.
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That may be a quick turnaround! After all, ABC has at all times been good about capitulating to Trump rapidly. After he gained the 2024 election, ABC executives didn’t even trouble to attend till he took workplace earlier than handing him $16 million within the hopes his administration would go away them alone.
Suckers. That $16 million, ostensibly paid to settle a meritless defamation lawsuit Trump filed, didn’t purchase them something. You possibly can’t negotiate with terrorists. All ABC did was present how prepared it was to accede to Trump’s calls for.
Carr’s menace was in no way delicate. He instructed Johnson that the FCC “can do this the easy way or the hard way,” which is a few actually bizarre mobster discuss to come back out of the mouth of an company chair. Then he made clear what the “easy way” was: “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.”
So what horrible issues did Kimmel say that warranted ABC yanking his present primarily based on a number of phrases from Carr? You possibly can watch Kimmel’s total monologue and see for your self.
The remarks that Carr was most incensed about had been, to be trustworthy, gentle as fuck and don’t represent something remotely actionable. However hey, he was speaking about Charlie Kirk, and we now have a complete federal authorities weaponized in opposition to anybody who is just not lavishly praising Kirk. What specifically had Carr so livid?
“We hit some new lows over the weekend with the MAGA gang trying to characterize this kid who killed Charlie Kirk as anything other than one of them,” Kimmel mentioned. He additionally mentioned that MAGA was utilizing Kirk’s dying to attain political factors.
Right here’s the factor. That’s completely what the MAGA gang did the second the world discovered Kirk was lifeless. They’ve sought responsible the left writ massive and transgender folks specifically. The truth that Kirk’s alleged killer, Tyler Robinson, could have been motivated by a want to cease Kirk’s hatred or as a result of he had a trans roommate doesn’t change that.
So now you don’t simply get in hassle for insufficiently praising Charlie Kirk because the thirteenth disciple or best civil rights hero in historical past or no matter. You additionally get in hassle for speaking about what Trump’s supporters—together with members of his administration—are doing. Acquired it.
One of many greatest TV station homeowners within the nation, Nexstar Media, instantly instructed ABC it might pre-empt Kimmel’s present over his remarks. What prompted Nexstar to drop Kimmel so rapidly?
In line with Nexstar, Kimmel’s feedback had been “offensive and insensitive at a critical time in our national political discourse, and we do not believe they reflect the spectrum of opinions, views, or values of the local communities in which we are located.” B
FCC Commissioner Brendan Carr
Censoring Kimmel, per Nexstar, is definitely cool and nice, as a result of it is going to “let cooler heads prevail as we transfer towards the resumption of respectful, constructive dialogue.”
Certain, possibly it’s that, however maybe it’s that Nexstar simply inked a $6.2 billion cope with rival broadcast station proprietor Tegna, and that deal wants approval from the Trump administration.
Kimmel now joins Stephen Colbert, whose present was canceled by CBS in what was clearly a quid professional quo for the administration to approve the merger between Paramount and Skydance. Carr fortunately took credit score for that, and clearly felt—appropriately—that FCC threats get outcomes.
Plus, Carr was simply delivering on what Trump demanded again in July on Reality Social after CBS canceled Stephen Colbert’s present in what was clearly a quid professional quo for the administration to approve the merger between Paramount and Skydance.
“I absolutely love that Colbert got fired. His talent was even less than his ratings. I hear Jimmy Kimmel is next,” he posted on social media. “Has even less talent than Colbert! Greg Gutfeld is better than all of them combined, including the Moron on NBC who ruined the once great Tonight Show.”
Right here’s the factor. Each cope with this administration is a foul cut price. By giving in so swiftly on Trump’s sham defamation lawsuit final 12 months, ABC let the administration know simply how weak-willed it’s, weak to the slightest stress.
