Jack Wagner, Editor

Late-night talk show host Jimmy Kimmel returned last week after a six-day suspension that raised concerns about free speech and the current administration’s stance on First Amendment rights.

ABC, the network that has aired Kimmel’s show “Jimmy Kimmel Live!” since 2003, suspended him indefinitely on Sep. 17 after pressure from Federal Communications Commission (FCC) Chair Brendan Carr over statements the late-night host made about the assassination of right-wing political activist Charlie Kirk.

During his monologue on Monday, Sep. 15, Kimmel commented “The MAGA Gang [is] 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,” prompting backlash from Carr.

During his appearance on a conservative podcast, Carr said the FCC had ways to punish Kimmel. “We can do this the easy way or the hard way. These companies can find ways to change conduct, to take action, frankly, on Kimmel, or there is going to be additional work for the FCC ahead.” Carr also suggested the FCC could pursue news distortion cases against station licensees over airing Kimmel’s comments. Hours later, ABC announced his suspension.

Two of the largest station owners in the country, Nexstar Media Group and Sinclair Broadcast Group, said they were removing Kimmel’s show from all of their affiliates beyond ABC’s suspension. Sinclair published a statement saying, “Sinclair will not lift the suspension of ‘Jimmy Kimmel Live!’ on our stations until formal discussions are held with ABC regarding the network’s commitment to professionalism and accountability.”

President Trump also commented on Kimmel’s suspension. “They should have fired him a long time ago, so you know, you can call that free speech or not. He was fired for lack of talent,” said Trump during a meeting with UK Prime Minister Keir Starmer.

Kimmel’s suspension and Carr’s actions drew pushback from both politicians and citizens. Senator Rand Paul, R-Ky, said in an interview, “You have to sell sponsorships. You have to sell commercials, and if you’re losing money, you can be fired. But the government’s got no business in it, and the FCC was wrong to weigh in,” and Senator Ted Cruz, R-Tx, said Carr was acting like “a mafioso.”

Disney, ABC’s parent company, reportedly lost 1.7 million paid subscribers during the week of Kimmel’s suspension across all of its services, which include Disney+, Hulu and ESPN+, with many claiming the company’s actions regarding Kimmel as their reason.

Disney officially lifted the suspension on Sep. 22, saying that Kimmel would be back on ABC’s schedule Sep. 23. During his first show back, Kimmel thanked many people for their support, including fellow late-night hosts and the politicians who spoke out against his suspension, and commented on how dangerous the actions taken by Carr were for free speech, saying, “our government cannot be allowed to control what we do and do not say on television, and that we have to stand up to it.” 

Nexstar and Sinclair reinstated his show several days later, claiming that they were “committed to protecting the First Amendment” and they were responding to “thoughtful feedback from viewers, advertisers and community leaders,” respectively.

President Trump was less pleased, posting on Truth Social, “I can’t believe ABC Fake News gave Jimmy Kimmel his job back. The White House was told by ABC that his Show was cancelled! Something happened between then and now because his audience is GONE, and his ‘talent’ was never there.”

Trump also appeared to go on and threaten ABC with some kind of lawsuit, writing, “I think we’re going to test ABC out on this. Let’s see how we do. Last time I went after them, they gave me $16 Million Dollars. This one sounds even more lucrative.”

The whole affair raised some questions about the safeguards in place to protect First Amendment rights and media freedoms in America. The Kimmel situation appears to be settled, but it already comes after fellow late-night host Stephen Colbert had his show cancelled by CBS, supposedly due to “financial decisions,” but is suspected by many to be politically motivated. One way or another, the media landscape for late-night hosts looks rough for the near future.