Kimmel’s hope for connection
After public outcry, Kimmel’s return shows we agree on at least one founding principle
Jimmy Kimmel is back on the air. After his employer gave into mafia-style threats by Trump’s FCC commissioner and suspended his show without notice, Kimmel finally returned this week. While his suspension was a shocking example of government censorship under an increasingly authoritarian regime, the public backlash against Disney provided a glimmer of hope. Though divided on so much, Americans in general are still not fans of the government telling us what to say or think.
In his first monologue back on the air, Kimmel set the record straight. He indeed never made light of the murder of Charlie Kirk; in fact, it was his mocking of the grotesque way Trump and his followers were exploiting Kirk’s death and attempting to distance themselves from political violence that angered Trump. In reaction, Trump’s man at the FCC issued the threat that caused Kimmel’s suspension.
Kimmel also spoke of the global reaction to his suspension, with talk show hosts from other countries speaking about him on air or reaching out directly. The day following that announcement, I was asked to join Radio-Canada to discuss the politics of it here at home. The truth is though, this goes far beyond the bounds of traditional partisan politics as the subsequent public outcry and Kimmel’s ultimate reinstatement showed.
There still exists a line in the sand, a shared boundary the crossing of which puts anyone (or any major corporation) outside the bounds of our society. Like when the administration refused to release the Epstein files (or suddenly decided the files never existed in the first place) this moment offers a chance for connection.
No one can both stand for freedom of speech and condone the censoring of someone just because they’re not a fan– at least no one apart from the most dedicated devotees of the current occupant of the White House and the podcasters who make a living boosting him. It’s a bare minimum, but it’s also not nothing. Rather than move past the story as one of many abominations since January of 2025, we can use it as a rare piece of common ground and something to build on.
Here’s how we can go about it
When unpacking what has just happened, stick to what actually matters: not what Jimmy said, but the principle. Even if he were to say something objectionable, and the record shows he did not, that still isn’t grounds for threats from a public official or dismissal from a job. We can’t be distracted by half truths or asides. Yes, the Disney Corporation is a private entity and has the right to hire and fire employees the same as any other, but that’s not what happened here. They suspended an employee for something he said and did so under pressure from an agent of the Federal government who threatened them. It’s the very sort of scenario that conservatives and the conspiracy minded alike had been warning about for years. Focus on that.
Remember to ask the obvious: what if the shoe were on the other foot? Could a President Newsom ban Ben Shapiro or Megyn Kelly? Fortunately, that’s exactly where the minds of many right wing influencers and conservatives went immediately after news of Kimmel’s suspension broke. This will not require any intellectual heavy lifting. Rather than piling on here, this can be a rare moment of agreement, that even if we disagree on the opinion, word choice, or world view of another, we agree they have a right to their opinion and that the government should play no role in policing opinions.
As always, stick to their values and shared values, and refrain from using terms or priorities that would resonate with more liberal or progressive individuals. Again, we have it easier than usual here with such a clear cut example of right and wrong. Stay away from mentions of arts, expression, and creativity and underscore the common concerns around censorship, government intruding in the decision-making of private businesses, and officials using the power of the state to silence. Not only do we share these concerns both generally and in this particular moment, but anyone who has been consuming right wing media, from talk radio and cable TV decades ago to the all engrossing podcasts of today has been primed to fear government interference and censorship in particular at a visceral level.
Of course, all of this presupposes you’re speaking with someone who’s conversing in good faith. There’s no point in trying to engage with someone who is going to throw away the convictions they espoused last week just because their leader has changed his point of view yet another time.
We’re not going to play nice with actual authoritarians – and we’re certainly not going to waste time convincing them of anything. Those are the people we are going to have to continue to fight until their movement is defeated. But part of that same fight is connecting with the people who never bought into full bore authoritarianism, but who haven’t stood up to object to it yet. Like it or not, we need them as allies. Talking with them is never wasted time, and to paraphrase Jimmy Kimmel, if we can agree on free speech, who knows what else we might agree on?