ABC announced the suspension of Jimmy Kimmel’s late night show, “Jimmy Kimmel Live!” on Sept. 17. President Donald Trump made his thoughts on Kimmel’s removal clear in a post on Truth Social, stating, “Great News for America: The ratings challenged Jimmy Kimmel Show is CANCELLED.”
The removal was prompted by comments Kimmel made regarding Charlie Kirk’s suspected killer and what Kimmel referred to as “the MAGA gang.” His comments were heavily criticized by Brendan Carr, the head of the Federal Communications Commission, leading to an announcement from ABC that the show would be suspended indefinitely. However, this indefinite suspension was reversed the following Tuesday.
Trump has been very vocal in his disdain for news media as well as comedy. In the last year, he has filed a multitude of lawsuits against media companies such as The New York Times, Wall Street Journal, CBS News, ABC News and the Des Moines Register.
Free speech on college campuses is under attack, and it is crucial to pay attention to all instances of censorship as it grows more prevalent in the lives of students. In a time when the world needs laughter more than ever, the censorship of comedy is a calculated attack on free speech.
Prior to Trump’s first term as president, he hosted Saturday Night Live in 2015. However, in 2019, Alec Baldwin revived his impression of Trump in a sketch depicting a press conference. Trump reacted on X stating, “Nothing funny about tired Saturday Night Live on Fake News NBC! Question is, how do the Networks get away with these total Republican hit jobs without retribution?”
The “Jimmy Kimmel Live!” situation occurred shortly after CBS announced the cancellation of “The Late Show With Stephen Colbert” in July. While CBS said that the decision was purely financial, the cancellation was announced just days after Colbert criticized Paramount’s settling of Trump’s $16 million dollar lawsuit over its “60 Minutes” segment.
In the aforementioned Truth Social post on the removal, Trump continues, “That leaves Jimmy and Seth, two total losers, on Fake News NBC. Their ratings are also horrible. Do it NBC!!!” Referring to Jimmy Fallon and Seth Myers, Trump not only publicly advocated for the removal of these programs, but made a statement that he has the power to do so. As Carr was appointed by Trump to be chairman of the FCC, he has the media in his pocket.
Comedy and satire have long served as a political tool in American history as it has the power to educate, convince and shape human beliefs and perceptions.
The connection between political turmoil and comedic suppression is historical. In 1969, “The Smothers Brothers Comedy Hour” was cancelled by CBS for political and antiwar commentary. In 1972, comedian George Carlin was arrested for his monologue, “Seven Dirty Words You Can Never Say on Television,” for using profane language.
In his 2022 acceptance speech for The Kennedy Center’s Mark Twain Prize, comedian Jon Stewart said, “When a society is under threat, comedians are the ones who get sent away first.”
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