Sam Klein, Editor

The First Amendment of the United States Constitution clearly outlines that “Congress shall make no law respecting an establishment of religion, or prohibiting the free exercise thereof; or abridging the freedom of speech, or of the press…” Over time, the Federal Communication Commission (FCC) has enacted various bylaws that prohibit speech in cases of obscenity, indecency and profanity in an attempt to protect the American people. Yet, one thing has always been certain since the Bill of Rights was officially ratified in 1791: the American people have a fundamental right to free speech. 

In an era of vastly polarized political parties, the allowance of free speech has only further divided the American people, whose diverse opinions run rampant on the Internet, social media sites and by word of mouth. Still, our ability to voice our opinions is what makes democracy stand strong, allowing for a united front even if our opinions are not uniform. However, our democracy is as strong as it is fragile; our confidence in our autonomy is slowly deteriorating, one act of government censorship at a time. 

Many journalists and media personalities are growing fearful of censorship following ABC’s decision to remove Jimmy Kimmel’s show off the air after his comments regarding the death of conservative activist Charlie Kirk. On Sept. 15, Kimmel discussed how divisive the country is while simultaneously criticizing Trump for deepening the divide, failing to release the Epstein files and ultimately targeting MAGA’s reaction to Kirk’s death.

Not only did Kimmel criticize MAGA’s response, but Trump’s minimal reaction to Kirk’s death as well. “This is not how an adult grieves the murder of somebody called a friend,” Kimmel said. “This is how a four-year-old mourns a goldfish.”

Kimmel’s mention of Kirk’s murder sparked immediate controversy. Chair of the FCC Brendan Carr threatened to take action against ABC, and therefore Disney, if they did not act quickly. Succumbing to the pressure, ABC claimed Kimmel’s show would be taken off the air indefinitely. 

Yet a week later, ABC brought the show back.

In his opening monologue following the return of the show on Sept. 23, Kimmel said while choking back tears, “It was never my intention to make light of the murder of a young man. I don’t think the murderer who shot Charlie Kirk represents anyone. This was a sick person who believed violence was a solution and it isn’t, ever.” 

Kimmel then expressed his sympathy for Erica Kirk, the widow of Charlie Kirk, and explained how her forgiveness of her late husband’s killer touched him deeply. Yet, in light of the events, Kimmel could not help but recognize the democratic importance of his censorship to the broader issue of regulating free speech. 

Kimmel mentions how in other foreign countries, namely Russia and the Middle East, talk show hosts would get thrown in jail, or potentially worse, for criticizing people in a position of power, which is why he considers himself lucky. Yet, Kimmel acknowledges that within our democratic system, any censorship of comedians by our government is simply “anti-American.” 

“[They] tried to coerce our affiliates who run our show in the cities you live in to take my show off the air. That’s not legal; that’s not American,” Kimmel said.

Trump himself was outraged about the return of Kimmel’s show, immediately taking his response to Truth Social by writing, “Why would they [ABC] want someone back who does so poorly, who’s not funny, and who puts the Network in jeopardy by playing 99% positive DEMOCRATIC GARBAGE.” 

ABC has not publicly responded to Trump’s post, yet as CNN states, it remains clear that the president cannot stand to be criticized night after night. 

Kimmel outlined the process of learning his show was being taken off the air while featured on fellow comedian Stephen Cobert’s talk show, The Late Show. Also an avid criticizer of Trump, Colbert is being taken off the air by CBS beginning in May of 2026 for “purely financial reasons,” yet fans are skeptical because the decision came after criticism of Trump and the show’s parent company, Paramount Global. 

The technicalities of which talk shows will continue to air are irrelevant, for the importance of censoring them at all remains the focus of many journalists who believe our democracy is threatened. Kimmel’s remarks on his Sept. 15 show, while potentially controversial in nature, did not break any FCC guidelines that would give the government the ability to restrict his speech. The issue then wasn’t the legality of Kimmel’s words, rather the dislike of conservative higher ups, like Carr and Trump, to be nationally criticized, furthermore pressuring corporations like ABC to act. 

Although Kimmel remains on the air, the question stands: How can we “Make America Great Again” if our government does not believe in upholding the principles established in our Constitution, and perhaps more importantly– What does government censorship mean for the future of our democracy?