The indefinite suspension of Jimmy Kimmel’s late-night show by ABC on Wednesday ignited a firestorm of discussion across the podcast landscape, especially within conservative and “manosphere” circles. This debate centered on fundamental questions of free speech, the nuances of cancel culture, and the delicate balance between comedic expression and offensive commentary.
In dedicated episodes, many podcasters from conservative backgrounds agreed that Mr. Kimmel had disseminated false information during his Monday telecast. He had stated, regarding Tyler Robinson, the individual accused of killing Mr. Kirk, that conservatives were “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.”
However, the podcast hosts’ reactions diverged significantly concerning the influence of Federal Communications Commission Chairman Brendan Carr. Carr had suggested in an interview, just hours before ABC’s announcement, that the regulatory body might take action against the network due to Kimmel’s comments.
Supporting the Suspension
Stephen K. Bannon, the political strategist and host of “Bannon’s War Room”: “I love hearing these people squeal,” he declared on Thursday, referring to critics of the suspension. “Because people are contacting me saying, ‘Hey, can you get on here to debate about the First Amendment?’ We ain’t debating anything. We’re taking action.”
Mr. Bannon further asserted that Kimmel was silenced for slandering the MAGA movement and “denigrating the memory of Charlie Kirk by lying like he does all the time.”
He also made it clear that he saw CBS’s decision to cancel “The Late Show With Stephen Colbert” and ABC’s suspension of Kimmel’s program as part of a broader strategy to remove late-night hosts from broadcast television. “Two down, two to go,” he remarked, omitting the names of the hosts of NBC’s “The Tonight Show With Jimmy Fallon” and “Late Night With Seth Meyers.”
“Now we have a scalp in Jimmy Kimmel,” Bannon added. “And there are gonna be many, many, many more scalps.”
“The Clay Travis & Buck Sexton Show”: During an extensive discussion of the controversy, Mr. Travis referenced past incidents involving Roseanne Barr, whom ABC dismissed from “Roseanne” in 2018 (the show was later rebooted as “The Conners”) following racist tweets about former Obama adviser Valerie Jarrett. He also brought up actress Gina Carano, who was removed from the Disney Plus series “The Mandalorian” after social media comments implying that being a Republican in 2021 was akin to being Jewish during the Holocaust.
“When you create a culture where someone can be fired when they say something that is considered offensive, you have created the standards by which your own stars can also be fired,” Mr. Travis argued. “And, to me, if you didn’t say a word about Roseanne, and you didn’t say a word about Gina Carano, I don’t understand how you think you have the moral high horse or legitimacy to suddenly ride in and say, ‘Oh my goodness, look at what they’re doing to Jimmy Kimmel.’”
In the second hour of Mr. Travis’s program, Eric Trump phoned in, suggesting that ABC’s suspension of Mr. Kimmel was not due to government meddling. “Listen, the guy has been a jerk,” Mr. Trump said of Kimmel. “He hasn’t been funny. But, honestly, I think the network used this as a way to get him out based on, you know, bad ratings.”
“Louder With Crowder”: Steven Crowder emphasized that Mr. Kimmel’s suspension was a “voluntary” action by a private company and expressed no sympathy.
“The Michael Knowles Show”: Mr. Knowles lauded ABC’s decision to remove “Jimmy Kimmel Live” as a “great move.” He advocated for more aggressive FCC intervention, acknowledging that this position would likely alienate libertarians and “squishy types.”
“The joke in poor taste is a little bit of a red herring,” he stated. “It’s the lies that we’re talking about here, because these news networks are not merely private corporations. These news networks are licensed broadcasters. They require licenses from the government. They have a purpose, which is, in the case of news, to tell the truth, to inform the public.”
Critical of the Suspension
“Flagrant,” hosted by Andrew Schulz and Akaash Singh: Mr. Singh voiced concerns about the suspension. In a 15-minute segment added to the main episode, featuring regulars Alexx Media and Mark Gagnon, he characterized ABC’s action as “a big attack on free speech.”
Mr. Singh further commented, “It is funny to watch right wing people just become left wing people.”
“In terms of censorship, freedom of speech is more under attack now, honestly, than I think it has ever been,” he claimed. While his co-hosts pushed back slightly, all agreed that Kimmel’s initial remarks were inappropriate.
“Charlie Kirk should have been allowed to say the things we didn’t like,” Mr. Singh asserted. “Jimmy Kimmel should be allowed to say the things we didn’t like. That’s just what America is.”
“Real Coffee,” hosted by Scott Adams, the cartoonist and political commentator: Mr. Adams unequivocally declared, “I’m on Jimmy Kimmel’s side.”
Adams drew parallels to his own past. In 2023, he faced severe backlash and was dropped by his “Dilbert” comic strip syndicator and had a book canceled after he posted a YouTube video calling Black Americans a “hate group” and advising white people to avoid them.
“Would I like some revenge?” Mr. Adams pondered on his podcast Thursday. “Yes. Yes, I would enjoy that. But that doesn’t mean I get it. That doesn’t mean I should pursue it. Doesn’t mean the world’s a better place if it happens.”
He concluded: “Do I think I should have been canceled? Nope. Do I think Roseanne should have been canceled? Nope. And I’m not going to change my mind because it’s Jimmy Kimmel.”
A Complicated Reaction
“The Ben Shapiro Show”: Mr. Shapiro expressed satisfaction with Mr. Kimmel’s misfortune, repeatedly articulating his strong dislike for the host and his late-night program. However, he also offered a critical analysis of the events and their potential future implications.
“I do not want the F.C.C. in the business of telling local affiliates that their licenses will be removed if they broadcast material that the F.C.C. deems to be informationally false,” he stated. “Why? Because one day the shoe will be on the other foot.”
Mr. Shapiro underscored the need for a high threshold for FCC intervention regarding misinformation: “I’m just telling you, if Democrats win the presidency and you got a Democrat in charge of the F.C.C. — you got Adam Schiff in charge of the F.C.C. — you know which affiliates are going to get threatened? All of the Fox affiliates. You know that’s going to happen.”