Jimmy Kimmel is back on the air Tuesday night after Disney lost billions for the late-night host’s suspension. Plus, Kimmel’s fellow late-night hosts have spent several nights blasting ABC for condoning the violation of free speech.
Kimmel Was Abruptly Pulled Off The Air Last Wednesday
Kimmel, who has been working on the show since 2003, was abruptly pulled off the air after the FCC chair threatened to revoke ABC’s broadcast license.
In a statement, Disney said,
“Last Wednesday, we decided to suspend production on the show to avoid further inflaming a tense situation at an emotional moment for our country.”
They continued,
“It’s a decision we made because we felt some of the comments were ill-timed and thus insensitive.”
They added, “We have spent the last days having thoughtful conversations with Jimmy, and after those conversations, we decided to return to the show on Tuesday.”
Kimmel was accused of “making fun of” the assassination of the right-wing commentator who founded Turning Point USA, Charlie Kirk.
Kirk played an instrumental role in supporting President Donald Trump’s campaign and influencing young voters.
He was fatally shot while speaking at Utah Valley University. Kirk was only 31 years old. The death of Charlie Kirk was no doubt tragic.
However, Kimmel has received much support from fellow late-night hosts, Jimmy Fallon, Seth Meyers, and Stephen Colbert.
The First Amendment, the right to freedom of speech, prohibits blatant censorship and encourages freedom of expression.
Yet, many questions were raised about whether Kimmel’s comments bordered on hate speech. Many found Kimmel’s jokes insensitive and inappropriate.
However, many others came together to support the comedian and rallied around him during his suspension.
Kimmel’s Comments After Charlie Kirk’s Assassination Were Dubbed Insensitive
Late-night host Jimmy Fallon called it a free speech issue and performed a satirical comedy sketch in which he was forced to lavish flattery and praise on Donald Trump.
Understandably, the comments made about the Charlie Kirk assassination were ill-timed and potentially damaging to those who are grieving the loss.
However, Trump seems to take issue with anyone who openly criticizes him, which late-night hosts have always done to every president in the US.
Late-night really is fair game when it comes to merging politics and comedy. Many people don’t like it, so they don’t have to watch.
However, late-night talk shows are a time-honored institution in our country, in which people should expect jokes about the president to be made, regardless of who supports whom.
Again, no one should ever make fun of a murder, let alone a death. It’s a tricky question where some people call it a violation of free speech, while others call it hate speech.
It tends to be a fine line. This writer, in particular, is a supporter of late-night comedy. I’ve been watching it since I was a little kid and would often sneak to watch Saturday Night Live and other late-night shows like David Letterman.
That said, it would be difficult for me to support any ban on free speech. Regardless of whether I liked or agreed with what was said. As to whether what Kimmel said was actually hate speech is entirely up for debate.
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