Overview:
The article argues that the suspension of Jimmy Kimmel from ABC was not a corporate decision but an act of censorship, as the Trump administration and its allies pressured the network to silence a critic. The FCC chair's suggestion that Kimmel's broadcast license could be revoked was seen as intimidation, and the free market was not at play when Nexstar and Disney followed suit. The article highlights the hypocrisy of the situation, as Charlie Kirk and Brian Kilmeade have made controversial statements without facing similar consequences. It calls for people to stay loud and demand that the FCC not be weaponized as a political tool.
Preliminaries won’t serve us well this time; let’s call this what it is: censorship dressed up as corporate decision-making. Jimmy Kimmel didn’t get “suspended” because he went too far. He got shut down because he dared to say out loud what many were already thinking. The Trump administration and its allies flexed their muscle, and ABC folded faster than a dollar-store lawn chair.
This isn’t just about late-night TV. This is about power, fear, and the frightening speed with which democracy is slipping into something far more dangerous.
Authoritarianism by Press Release
The timeline here is giving a textbook case study in intimidation. Kimmel cracks a joke about MAGA reactions to Charlie Kirk’s killing. An opening monologue that was biting but well within the bounds of protected speech. Enter FCC chair Brendan Carr, who hops on a podcast sounding like a mob boss, reverberating a sentiment that suggested: “Nice broadcast license you got there, shame if something happened to it.” Within hours, Nexstar, which just so happens to need FCC approval for a $6 billion merger, yanks Kimmel from its airwaves. ABC/Disney follows suit. And just like that, one of the last loud critics of Trump on network TV is gone.
The free market is not what we are witnessing here. The government is using its regulatory muscle to silence someone it does not like, with corporations doing the dirty work to protect their bottom line. And it is okay if you disagree with or do not like Kimmel, but what the world is witnessing is authoritarianism with good PR and democratic backsliding unfolding in real time.
The First Amendment Is Supposed to Mean Something
The First Amendment does not protect anyone from public backlash or private consequences for what they say. But it explicitly prohibits the government from silencing speech simply because it dislikes the message. That is precisely what happened here. The FCC’s power to revoke licenses gave Carr’s threat teeth, even though the agency is legally prohibited from censoring broadcast content except in extremely narrow circumstances, none of which applied to Kimmel’s monologue.
Jimmy Kimmel has been dragging Donald Trump and his allies for years, gleefully, relentlessly, and with the kind of sharp edge that late-night comedy was built for. And guess what? The government never said a word. There were no FCC threats, no license drama, and no corporate panic. Now suddenly, after one offhand monologue about MAGA reactions to Charlie Kirk’s death, the full weight of federal pressure shows up? Let’s be honest. Civility was never the issue. Silencing anyone who does not line up was the goal, and Jimmy Kimmel was the most recent sacrifice.
The Hypocrisy Is Loud and Receipted
And here is where the hypocrisy gets loud and nasty: Charlie Kirk built a career saying the quietly bigoted parts out loud. On his show, he once said, “If I see a Black pilot, I’m going to be like, boy, I hope he’s qualified”. He claimed that “prowling Blacks go around for fun to go target white people”, dismissed Black women in certain roles as affirmative action hires, and even called for “Nuremberg-style trials” for doctors who provide gender-affirming care.
None of that drew FCC scrutiny.
Meanwhile, Fox News host Brian Kilmeade just recently suggested we “just kill ’em” when talking about unhoused people with mental illness, proposing “involuntary lethal injections” on live television. He kept his job and offered a half-hearted, weak apology. But Jimmy Kimmel’s offhand speculation about a shooter’s politics is treated like a national crisis.
When the Watchdog Rolls Over
The press was designed to be a watchdog, not a lapdog. Our country’s founders were not perfect by a long shot, but they worked to secure freedom of the press as one of democracy’s non-negotiables because they knew unchecked power would always drift toward abuse. However, instead of defending their ability to control their own airwaves, ABC and Nexstar rolled over like it was obedience school.
And look, this is not just about Jimmy Kimmel. Washington Post columnist Karen Attiah was dismissed for speaking out about political violence and racial double standards. MSNBC cut ties with Matthew Dowd after conservatives ginned up outrage over his comments. These firings are becoming a pattern, one that sends a clear message to the rest of us: stay quiet, or you are next.
Pay Attention: This Is Your Fight Too
We cannot normalize this, and neither can we shrug and say, “Well, that’s just TV.” Because if they can silence a late-night comedian with millions of viewers, what chance do everyday people have when they speak up about racism at work, demand police accountability, or call out inequity in schools?
This is a moment that demands we stay loud. Now is the time to apply pressure by calling your representatives, demanding that the FCC stop being weaponized as a political tool, and supporting journalists, artists, and truth-tellers who refuse to bow to intimidation.
Because silence is exactly what authoritarianism wants, and history shows us that once the silencing starts, it does not stop on its own.
This story was originally published on EBONY on September 19th, 2025.