Studying Time: 4 minutes
This week, ABC abruptly suspended Jimmy Kimmel’s present indefinitely.
Ostensibly, this craven transfer was as a result of his statements within the aftermath of far-right podcaster Charlie Kirk’s demise.
Few appear to take extra delight at this growth than disgraced comic Roseanne Barr.
ABC fired her again in 2018. Some are equating the Disney-owned community’s decisions in each situations.
In March of 2018, Roseanne Barr and Jimmy Kimmel had been two ABC staff chatting amicably on the latter’s discuss present. (Picture Credit score: ABC)
The Jimmy Kimmel firing is setting off alarm bells
As we famous when CBS canceled Stephen Colbert’s present, one of many key indicators of a free society is whether or not you may make enjoyable of a rustic’s chief with out consequence.
Many consider that Jimmy Kimmel’s years of poking enjoyable at Donald Trump — for his embarrassing moments, for his many crimes, and for his scandals — is the true motive behind the silencing of his present.
In case you watch Kimmel’s feedback in full, it’s tough to consider that his statements about Kirk are the issue.
TV station operators like Nextar Media Group and the notorious Sinclair Broadcast Group had been unsurprisingly fast to push for reprisal in opposition to Kimmel.
Most alarmingly, Donald Trump’s hand-picked head of the FCC mused overtly about revoking ABC’s broadcasting license over the imagined offense over Kimmel’s phrases.
From what we are able to inform, Kimmel ignited this firestorm by acknowledging:
“The Maga gang are 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.”
In a tweet, Roseanne Barr accused former President Barack Obama over personally inflicting her firing in 2018. If there may be proof to help this wild accusation, Barr didn’t select to share it. (Picture Credit score: Twitter)
How does this evaluate to ABC firing Roseanne Barr?
In Could 2018, Roseanne Barr tweeted: “Muslim Brotherhood & Planet of the Apes had a baby = VJ.”
The “VJ” referred to Valerie Jarrett, who had been a senior advisor to President Obama. (Only a reminder, for full context, that Donald Trump occupied the White Home at the moment)
Barr insisted that she had not supposed her tweet to be racist, however merely political.
She additionally very memorably blamed Ambien, inviting pushback from everybody from pharmaceutical corporations to most of the people. ABC fired her and changed the Roseanne revival with The Connors, that includes many of the unique forged.
Roseanne Barr participates in “Is America a Forgiving Nation?,” a Yom Kippur eve discuss on forgiveness hosted by the World Values Community and the Jewish Journal at Saban Theatre on September 17, 2018. (Picture Credit score: Rachel Luna/Getty Pictures)
“Yeah imagine an administration putting pressure on a television channel to fire a comedian they didn’t like,” Roseanne Barr tweeted on Wednesday, September 17. (Once more, Trump was in workplace in 2018)
We’ve got to acknowledge that Barr has a historical past of posting (or in any other case sharing) unsubstantiated or false claims.
She has even retweeted QAnon conspiracy theorists like Liz Crokin, who as soon as blamed a browsing damage on Hillary Clinton working towards sorcery in opposition to her.
Nevertheless, even Barr pushes again at the concept her firing is much like Kimmel’s suspension.
Sadly, it’s not as a result of she’s come to her senses. It’s as a result of her thought of actuality seems to be closely skewed.
Quote-tweeting alt-right conspiracy theorist Jack Posobiec, Roseanne Barr claims that her firing amidst a racism scandal was really a firing for “telling the truth.” (Picture Credit score: Twitter)
Firing after a racism scandal shouldn’t be the identical as suspending a present to appease a despot
Curiously, Roseanne Barr predicts that Jimmy Kimmel will “get an entire PR tour.”
That may be good. We definitely want him and his staff effectively, as they’re the victims of authoritarian overreach that threatens to destroy our very society.
We’re not even ten months into the erosion of sacred American rights and freedoms.
It’s somewhat odd for Barr to make this prediction. In spite of everything, she bought her very personal Cancel This! comedy particular on Fox Nation in 2023.
Roseanne claims her being kicked off her present was the identical as Jimmy Kimmel being cancelled. No Roseanne, that present ran for 7 seasons with out you, and I do not suppose Jimmy Kimmel ever dressed up as Hitler baking cookies or referred to as a black girl “Planet of the Apes” pic.twitter.com/ahEbu0cDAP
— TheRealThelmaJohnson (@TheRealThelmaJ1) September 18, 2025
Not like in 2018, this transfer by ABC shouldn’t be merely a enterprise resolution.
Jimmy Kimmel didn’t really say something incendiary. He has been compassionate within the wake of Charlie Kirk’s capturing, no matter what the late podcaster stood for.
Somewhat, giant companies are collaborating with the Trump administration to silence his critics. And, as with Colbert and CBS, it’s working. No matter pretext, it’s working.
In some unspecified time in the future, America will have the ability to start the lengthy, tough highway of rebuilding. Issues might worsen earlier than that work can start.
At the moment, our society can take a tough look and decide which corporations merely bowed right down to authorities stress out of worry, and which had been prepared collaborators with an authoritarian agenda.
