It’s not surprising that ABC caved to pressure and brought Jimmy Kimmel back on the air.
It’s not surprising that Kimmel delivered a heartfelt monologue while standing his ground.
And it’s not surprising that Kimmel’s ratings tripled to 6.2 million, plus another 26 million viewings on social media.
What is surprising is that the public groundswell against Disney and ABC forced them to become the poster child for fierce enemies of free speech.
The public shaming and negative media coverage were fully justified. And here’s why.
ABC put Kimmel’s show on an “indefinite” hiatus after the late-night host’s monologue declared that the Charlie Kirk killer was a member of MAGA. He said the “MAGA gang” was “desperately trying to characterize this kid who murdered Charlie Kirk as anything other than one of them.”
The statement prompted FCC Chair Brendan Carr to threaten the network with government action and specifically called for suspending Kimmel. “We can do this the easy way or the hard way,” he said, prompting Ted Cruz and others to say he sounded like a mob boss.
ABC caved a week later, putting Jimmy Kimmel back on the air even as major television groups—Nexstar and Sinclair—boycotted. Both had business in front of the administration. They got enough static to drop their opposition and restore Kimmel’s show.
So both ABC and the television groups caved. Twice. First to take Kimmel off the air, then to give him his show back.
We used to take free speech for granted, but not anymore. Government interference in any private enterprise is unacceptable and a slippery slope to autocracy. What if ABC banned Kimmel permanently? What would be next? The lesson would be: cave to the White House or else. And it would pave the way for more instances of pressure from Donald Trump and his team.
The president is no stranger to pressure tactics, as is evident from his litigious tendencies.
He sued, and won, against CBS, ABC, and others in the print world. CBS and ABC settled with him for $16 million each. CBS for editing an interview with Kamala Harris right before the election, saying 60 Minutes made her sound more coherent. ABC’s George Stephanopoulos on Good Morning America repeatedly said that Trump was liable for raping a woman when the actual term used by the court was “sexual abuse.”
In the Kimmel controversy, the audience uprising against ABC forced the network to change course. Many people were angry because, whether they liked Kimmel or not, this punishment went too far. He delivered a moving monologue on his first night back on the show, praising Kirk’s wife Erika and saying he understood why many viewers were upset. He stopped short of apologizing.
That was a mistake. How hard would it have been to acquiesce to the people who were offended by his inaccurate mischaracterization of Kirk’s killer?
After Kimmel’s return, Nexstar and Sinclair capitulated, ending their brief show of defiance and bowing to the will of the audience. One person was so angry that he opened fire at an ABC station in Sacramento. He had a note complaining about FBI Director Kash Patel and Attorney General Pam Bondi. Fortunately, nobody was killed.
The station groups realized they had gone too far. This is a corporate lesson—both for the groups and ABC—in how to read the room when the audience turns against you. There comes a point where you can’t keep making decisions when your viewers mount a full-scale revolt.
ABC’s decision to remove Jimmy Kimmel will forever be a stain on the network. When you make that kind of mistake, it can’t be reversed simply by doing the right thing. It will be front and center in college journalism classes for years to come.
Ultimately, ABC did the right thing—not that it had much choice. Free speech carried the day. And that’s good for democracy and the country.
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