Jimmy Kimmel’s Comeback Derailed as Major ABC Affiliate Refuses to Air Show After Charlie Kirk Comments
Jimmy Kimmel’s comeback to late night after his Charlie Kirk comments has been dealt a massive blow with ABC affiliates refusing to air it in nearly 40 major markets after Disney announced the liberal talk host will return Tuesday. The Mail has the story.
Sinclair Inc., whose local stations pay to run ABC’s Jimmy Kimmel Live!, is standing by its policy from last week that it would keep the show off the air indefinitely, though the two sides were in talks.
“Beginning Tuesday night, Sinclair will be preempting Jimmy Kimmel Live! across our ABC affiliate stations and replacing it with news programming. Discussions with ABC are ongoing as we evaluate the show’s potential return,” the company said. A preemption is when the owners of an affiliate replace national programming with their own.
It came as people across the political spectrum reacted to Kimmel’s return, with MAGA raging and Charlie Kirk’s former co-host Andrew Kolvet writing: “Disney and ABC caving and allowing Kimmel back on the air is not surprising, but it’s their mistake to make. Nextstar and Sinclair do not have to make the same choice.”
The biggest affiliate Sinclair owns is WJLA in Washington, meaning Donald Trump and the nation’s other major power players who have watched on with interest in this saga won’t be able to watch.
Sinclair had previously said it will refuse to lift the suspension of Kimmel’s show on its stations “until formal discussions are held with ABC regarding the network’s commitment to professionalism and accountability“.
The broadcaster also called on Kimmel to issue a “direct apology to the Kirk family” and to make a “meaningful personal donation to the Kirk Family and Turning Point USA”. TPUSA is a conservative college campus group founded by Kirk, with Kimmel a well-known liberal.
“Mr. Kimmel’s remarks were inappropriate and deeply insensitive at a critical moment for our country,” Sinclair Vice Chairman Jason Smith said in the announcement.
“We believe broadcasters have a responsibility to educate and elevate respectful, constructive dialogue in our communities.”
Reaction largely went across partisan lines as the news made it out of Kimmel’s comeback Tuesday.
In MAGA circles, the move was largely derided, with Megyn Kelly writing: “Must be nice to be a Leftist. ‘Cancellation’ lasts five nights and you’re right back under klieg lights. On the Right you’re underground.”
Conservative commentator Matt Walsh slammed liberal hypocrisy: “Kimmel’s show was put on pause for like three days and yet Leftists will look us dead in the eyes and tell us that this was a greater attack on free speech than shooting and killing Charlie Kirk.”
Worth reading in full.
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Perhaps they could rename the show ‘Jimmy Kimmel Lives!’
Its a mistake to push for censorship, the market place of ideas would put paid to Kimmel.
I tend to agree though it might be the broadcaster cutting their losses pre emptively which doesn’t seem unreasonable
I did read somewhere that the FCC was involved but I don’t know how- if anyone has seen more details on that I would be interested. The FCC is federal so would not be allowed to restrict free speech
Well, there are others who say that a Jesuit Honey Trap was used to prevent an Evangelical Protestant from becoming President of the USA…
Did they get their TV shows cancelled too?
They are too lowly and obscure to have TV shows. It does make you wonder, though, whether Charlie took out a large life insurance policy…
This case highlights the issue of hate speech. There is of course no such thing legally in the Us at the moment , but it exists none the less although also not in the form that it is usually legally instantiated elsewhere. A true example of such speech is Hamas teaching materials which continue their genocidal hatred of the Jews. (Because the Mahdi will not come until all the Jews are gotten rid of). This cannot be left as just a matter of free speech and their beliefs; the never ending conflict is testament to that. While people should be able to be free to reciprocally express their diverse beliefs , this cannot include any undermining of the basic humanity of someone you disagree with. This is hate, because you might as well kill them . But this idea of hate speech cannot be defined without properly differentiating between basic person humanity and their beliefs. Because identity politics does not allow it , you are what you believe, everywhere they have introduced hate speech it’s a mess.
“Hate Speech” does not exist in the West. It is an entirely alien concept being forced upon western democracies by a certain desert tribe, who called it “Lashon Hara”, and used it to silence the parents of children sexually assaulted by their own “priests”.
All references to “Hate Crime” and “Hate Speech” must be removed and abolished from the legal systems of the West.
Totally agree
“It is an entirely alien concept being forced upon western democracies by a certain desert tribe, who called it “Lashon Hara”, and used it to silence the parents of children sexually assaulted by their own “priests”.
Source? And why not at least have the courage to state that you’re referring to Jews?
There is hate speech in the US, it gets visas refused and cancelled for non-US citizens.
Nobody is responding to the key point about Hamas teaching its school children to basically hate the Jews. Is that not a true example of so called ‘hurty’ words which in effect is more than just mere words, but operates over generations. I e it is not an immediate incitement, but it is none the less deadly .i.e Hate speech does in fact exist in a form that should be seriously pushed back against by both societies and the law in none the less quite limited scenarios with no mission creep.
That us what is going to make a lasting robust peace in the ME impossible.
And it’s entirely possible it’s happening in England as well, probably to a somewhat lesser extent.
Hamas also teaches children to behead all infidels worldwide, not only Jews.
So you are agreeing with me that Hamas hurty words are even more deadly even though they are not an immediate encitement to violence as per the US constitution. Essentially hate speech properly defined must cross a kind of terrorism threshold. But that is actually wider than classic terrorism it does not need a focused group, it just needs an active lack of respect towards our basic humanity. The reason why so many on the left were not embarrassed to publicly laugh at Charlie Kirk’s death is because elements of woke indoctrination constantly repeated are in fact radicalisating, in that they undermine a proper view of basic humanity, and which is why they have trouble defining what a woman.This was of course practiced in other ways during COVID and will likely continue to be over the so called climate emergency and also in the usual false definition of hate speech enacted in the west. The fact that something is currently defined incorrectly doesn’t mean it’s not there waiting for the correct definition and naming.
False.
“The Global Magnitsky Human Rights Accountability Act, enacted in December 2016, authorizes the President to impose economic sanctions on, and deny entry into the United States to, foreign individuals or entities identified as engaging in human rights violations or corruption.”
Well, honestly, who cares?
Imo Trump was ill-advised to comment on the whole business.
The show was suspended in the first place because affiliates wouldn’t run with it.
I think it’s not just an apology for hurty words about a good and honest man who was shot dead by an unequivocally left-wing extremist.
if Kimmel wants back in he has to admit not just a mistake or a joke that went too far, but a genuine attempt to support the left-wings smear campaign against a man who gave his life trying to bring people back together.
The enormity of what he and other left-wing influencers would be a cathartic experience and a wake up call for those who spend their professional careers promoting hate and division. This has to stop, not just making insincere apologies when they’ve gone too far.