Introduction to the Controversy
The US comedian Jimmy Kimmel is set to return to his late-night talk show on Tuesday after being suspended for making jokes related to the death of conservative influencer Charlie Kirk. Disney, the parent company of the US broadcast network that airs Jimmy Kimmel’s show, stated that the suspension was due to some of Kimmel’s comments being "badly coordinated and therefore insensitive".
The Suspension and Its Aftermath
The sudden suspension of Kimmel came after the Federal TV supervisory authority received threats and revoked ABC’s broadcast license, triggering nationwide debates about freedom of speech. Critics and supporters of the First Amendment viewed the decision as censorship and a violation of freedom of speech. Kimmel has not yet publicly addressed his suspension or the fallout.
The Incident That Led to the Suspension
The controversy began when Kimmel said in his monologue on September 15 that the "Maga gang" tried to characterize the child who Charlie Kirk murdered as something other than one of them and tried to "score political points from it". He also made fun of Trump’s reaction to the murder of the influencer and showed a clip of the president reacting to a question about how he mourned the death by changing the topic to the construction of a new ballroom in the White House. Kimmel compared the reaction to "like a four-year-old mourning a goldfish".
Reactions from Authorities and Media Outlets
Brendan Carr, chairman of the radio supervisory authority, the Federal Communications Commission (FCC), threatened to take action against ABC and its parent company Disney for Kimmel’s comments. Hours later, Nexstar Media, one of the largest owners of television stations in the United States, announced that it would not air Kimmel’s show "for the foreseeable future". Sinclair, the largest ABC-affiliate group in the USA, followed suit, and ABC announced that it would suspend the program "indefinitely".
Support for Kimmel and Criticism of the Suspension
The decision to suspend Kimmel was met with protests and criticism from authors, actors, legislators, and the American Civil Liberties Union (ACLU), who argued that the suspension violates freedom of speech and has a chilling effect. Kimmel’s colleagues, including Jon Stewart, John Oliver, and Stephen Colbert, rallied behind him, and hundreds of celebrities and Hollywood creatives signed a letter in support of Kimmel. Ben Stiller, Jennifer Aniston, Meryl Streep, and Robert De Niro were among those who described Kimmel’s suspension as a "dark moment for freedom of expression in our nation".
The Return of Jimmy Kimmel
After spending several days in thoughtful discussions with Jimmy Kimmel, Disney decided to return the show to the air on Tuesday. US President Donald Trump had welcomed Kimmel’s suspension and suggested that some television stations should "take away" their licenses for negative reporting about the president. However, Trump did not comment on Kimmel’s reinstatement when asked about it during a White House press conference on Monday.
