Stephen A. Smith framed ABC/Disney’s decision to suspend Jimmy Kimmel Live! as a sign of how quickly broadcast tolerance for controversial commentary has narrowed. Instead blaming affiliate pressure, advertising economics and political influence for the move.
Speaking on The Stephen A. Smith Show via SiriusXM, the the sports-media commentator said the Kimmel suspension spoke to a larger cultural shift and to threats against free expression in mainstream media.
“You don’t think I noticed how our First Amendment rights are being trampled on? … You think I’m happy about Jimmy Kimmel being taken off the air? Whether tasteless or not, he was telling the joke. He was making people laugh,” Smith said.
ABC announced the indefinite pre-emption of the late-night program. After Nexstar Media Group and several other affiliates declined to air the show in the wake of Kimmel’s on-air remarks referencing reaction surrounding the killing of conservative activist Charlie Kirk.
Nexstar, the nation’s largest local broadcaster, said it “strongly objects” to the comments and moved to pull the program from its ABC stations. A decision that helped precipitate the network’s quick response.
Smith, who has made a habit of blending sports commentary with media criticism, pointed to the business calculus behind such programming decisions.
“It was NextStar that pulled the show … Why would you do something like that? Because advertisers and sponsors may not want to be associated with such a thing,” Smith said, adding that late-night revenue declines over recent years have left networks and affiliates skittish about controversy.
“If they don’t want to be associated with such a thing now and reports are showing that since 2018, 2019, 2020 that late night television has had their revenue sliced in half, then that means you have to be even more careful.”
Moreover, Smith contended the suspension cannot be disentangled from political pressure exerted on regulators and broadcasters.
“This is not new. I hate the fact that Jimmy Kimmel is taken off the air indefinitely … This president seems to be on a mission,” Smith said, referencing what he described as influence over the Federal Communications Commission and other agencies against broadcast corporations.
Smith, who guest hosted for Kimmel in recent years on the program, noted that the current environment is not new. The challenge now is for companies to adapt.
“He’s [Trump] saying what he’s saying. The world, meaning America and beyond, has been forced to adapt,” said Smith. “What makes you think you, me, or anybody else is going to be immune to that reality?”
For now, Kimmel’s return date remains uncertain, and the debate over the suspension has fueled a broader conversation inside media circles about editorial latitude, commercial pressures and the role of government in shaping what remains on the air.
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