If President Donald Trump, FCC Commissioner Brendan Carr or anyone else who cheered Jimmy Kimmel’s suspension from his late-night show thought he might tread lightly upon his return, they were sorely mistaken.
“As I was saying …” Kimmel said at the outset, a reference to the sudden cancellation. From there, it was nearly 30 minutes of jokes, discussions and tears, all delivered presumably under the watchful eye of the president, the FCC, the network and the network affiliates that refused to carry the show. It was fearless or reckless, depending on whether you’re a fan of the First Amendment or a Disney lawyer.
It was also remarkable television, and felt like a bit of history.
What did Jimmy Kimmel say when he returned?
ABC suspended Kimmel on Sept. 17, then brought the show back on Tuesday, Sept. 23. The suspension followed threats by Carr, the chairman of the Federal Communications Commission, on a right-wing podcast about comments Kimmel made in a monologue about the suspect in the slaying of Charlie Kirk.
These are the words that got Kimmel into trouble: “We hit some new lows over the weekend with the MAGA gang 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 addressed them in the monologue on Tuesday.
“I’ve been hearing a lot about what I need to say and do tonight,” he said. “And the truth is I don’t think what I have to say is going to make much of a difference. If you like me, you like me; if you don’t, you don’t. I don’t have any illusions about changing anyone’s mind.”
Kimmel said he never meant to make light of Charlie Kirk’s death
“But I do want to make something clear, because it’s important to me as a human. You understand that it was never my intention to make light of the murder of a young man,” Kimmel said, his voice breaking. “I don’t think there’s anything funny about it.” He said it was also not his intention to blame any specific group for “the actions of what was obviously a deeply disturbed individual. That was really the opposite of the point I was trying to make. But I understand that to some that felt either ill-timed or unclear or maybe both.”
There were a lot of jokes, but the one remark that encapsulated the whole thing best was this, when Kimmel talked about Trump hoping the show was canceled ― though it wasn’t really a joke: “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’t take a joke.”
That’s really the argument in a nutshell. Are Americans free to criticize the president and the government, or not? We’re in the middle of the painful process of finding out.
Then there was this, though it wasn’t really a joke, either: “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.”
Kimmel choked up talking about Erika Kirk
And this, which definitely wasn’t a joke, and which Kimmel choked up while delivering: “There was a moment over the weekend, a very beautiful moment. … On Sunday, Erika Kirk forgave the man who shot her husband. She forgave him. That is an example we should follow. … A selfless act of grace, forgiveness from a grieving widow. It touched me deeply. And I hope it touches many. And if there’s anything we should take from this tragedy to carry forward, I hope it can be that and not this.”
There were some jokes, including a bit where Kimmel said Carr had agreed to appear on the show. But when they cut to him, it was Robert De Niro in full gangster mode. “Oh yeah, about that ― free speech, it ain’t free no more,” he said. If you praise Trump it is. But if you make a joke about the president, what does that cost?
“Couple of fingers, maybe a tooth.”
Not everyone could see the show. Nexstar and Sinclair, two of the largest affiliate owners in the country, announced that they would not bring Kimmel back on their stations. Both companies have pending business deals that require the blessing of the FCC. Sinclair has also demanded that Kimmel apologize to Charlie Kirk’s family and make a “meaningful personal donation” to Turning Point USA, which Kirk co-founded.
Speaking of not being able to take a joke, Trump sounded furious about the reinstatement in a Truth Social post on Tuesday night, and then threatened the network with further legal action (ABC News settled a Trump lawsuit that many legal experts thought the network could win).
Trump threatened ABC with legal action. Again
“I can’t believe ABC Fake News gave Jimmy Kimmel his job back,” Trump posted. “The White House was told by ABC that his Show was cancelled! Something happened between then and now because his audience is GONE, and his ‘talent’ was never there. Why would they want someone back who does so poorly, who’s not funny, and who puts the Network in jeopardy by playing 99% positive Democrat GARBAGE.”
Kimmel’s show was never canceled; ABC suspended him “indefinitely” on Sept. 17 and reinstated the show on Tuesday.
“He is yet another arm of the DNC and, to the best of my knowledge, that would be a major Illegal Campaign Contribution,” Trump continued. “I think we’re going to test ABC out on this. Let’s see how we do. Last time I went after them, they gave me $16 Million Dollars. This one sounds even more lucrative. A true bunch of losers! Let Jimmy Kimmel rot in his bad Ratings.”
This is a clear threat by the president of the United States to try to limit free speech. So what else is new? It’s also a reminder that there are at least 16 million reasons that appeasing a bully gets you nowhere.
What happens next? Where does Kimmel go from here? Where does anyone? How Trump, Carr and the people who want free speech only when it’s speech they like react to Kimmel’s comments tells us a lot.
Must-see TV: ‘Jimmy Kimmel Live!’ returns after suspension fiasco
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This article originally appeared on Arizona Republic: Robert De Niro as Carr? Jimmy Kimmel is back. And all in | Opinion
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