Jimmy Kimmel returned to the airwaves this week, to massive ratings and with an important message of unity and a righteous refusal to capitulate to the powers that be. However, he was only broadcast in around 75% of markets in the United States. All of this hubbub began with Nexstar, and then Sinclair, the owners of many television stations across the country, decided to boycott Kimmel’s show due to comments that they interpreted as offensive in the wake of the murder of alt-right podcast host Charlie Kirk.
However, after “discussions” with Disney, Sinclair and Nexstar reversed their position. As reported by Deadline, the companies released statements explaining the decision, but you don’t need me to tell you that it all boils down to one thing: money. While they gave lip service to defending the First Amendment, they never would have pulled the show in the first place if they actually gave a hoot about freedom of speech. In all likelihood, they saw Kimmel deliver the largest late-night TV ratings since Johnny Carson’s 1992 finale and decided they wanted a piece of that action. It is their fiduciary duty, after all, and companies in our current age of late-stage capitalism have a duty to their shareholders’ wallets over any principles, be they misguided or otherwise.
I’d like to think this saga is over, but the first salvo on the war against free speech has already been fired. If your show has anything critical to say about MAGA, there will be a target on your back. In the wake of Jimmy Kimmel’s near-cancellation, we’ve seen Apple TV indefinitely postpone the release of the new Jessica Chastain series, The Savant. The series deals with domestic terror and online hate groups within the United States. How many more shows will be “disappeared?” How many Latino human beings have already been disappeared? I suppose that’s a different discussion, but maybe not as different as you think.
Anyway, with Kimmel back on the air and the affiliate boycott officially ended, maybe now things can begin to return to normal, or at least as normal as can be reasonably expected in the midst of Project 2025.
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