Late-night show “Jimmy Kimmel Live” has been “indefinitely suspended,” sparking a discussion on freedom of speech. However, the First Amendment to the United States Constitution is aimed at the government (federal, state, and local), not individuals and private enterprises. A senior commentator stated that this does not infringe on freedom of speech, but is a decision made by the TV network based on the free market.
On September 19, American media commentator and columnist Joe Concha discussed on Fox News about ABC’s decision to “indefinitely suspend” the late-night show “Jimmy Kimmel Live.” He emphasized that this is not a matter of freedom of speech, but a decision based on the “free market” – if a program is unpopular or damages the media image, it will naturally be taken off the air.
Concha mentioned that Jimmy Kimmel certainly has the right to freedom of speech and can still express his opinions freely; however, ABC and Disney are currently not willing to pay him $5-6 million per year.
The host of the Fox program emphasized before Concha’s remarks that it is important to note that “freedom of speech” is intended for the government and is not suitable for application to private companies. The First Amendment to the United States Constitution, enacted in 1791, is part of the Bill of Rights. The essence of the article is that Congress shall not make any law respecting an establishment of religion, or prohibiting the free exercise thereof; or abridging the freedom of speech, or of the press, or the right of the people peaceably to assemble and to petition the government for a redress of grievances.
On his show on September 15, Kimmel criticized conservative activist Charlie Kirk’s assassination attempt, condemning the “Make America Great Again” (MAGA) camp for trying to distance themselves from the suspect Tyler Robinson after his arrest and “scoring political points as much as they can.”
Concha criticized Kimmel’s remarks as nauseating lies. He raised questions for those who argue about “freedom of speech” regarding Kimmel’s show being “indefinitely suspended,” suggesting they consider whether Kimmel’s words and actions have damaged the brand images of ABC and Disney.
Concha believes that Kimmel’s inappropriate comments on the killer of Kirk on September 15 were the “last straw” for ABC, Disney, Nexstar TV, and Sinclair Broadcasting Group.
In his show “Jesse Watters Primetime” on September 19, Jesse Watters also discussed the topic. He mentioned that despite some people protesting at ABC over Kimmel’s show being “indefinitely suspended,” there were only about thirty people on the scene. Watters also cited California Representative Eric Swalwell standing up in support of Kimmel, but the number of responders in the photo was minimal.
In contrast, vigils for Kirk were held by numerous people across the United States. For example, on the evening of September 18, a candlelight vigil in Boston drew thousands of participants, some holding candles or signs in silent mourning, while others chanted “USA! Charlie!” in remembrance of Kirk’s contributions to promoting true freedom of speech and conservative ideals.
Watters argued that Kimmel’s inappropriate comments on September 15 were not jokes but blatant lies on the issue of gun violence. He suggested that Kimmel could choose to acknowledge his mistakes to restore his public image but seemed unwilling to do so, which was Kimmel’s decision.
Watters played a video on his show in which Kimmel stated: “I was born into a Catholic family and was taught that if you do something wrong, you ask for forgiveness, and you’ll be forgiven.” However, Up to the time of writing, Kimmel had not apologized for his inappropriate remarks.
Watters also mentioned on his show that NBC’s Jimmy Fallon has supported Kimmel in his show, “The Tonight Show Starring Jimmy Fallon.”
At the time of the announcement of the “indefinite suspension” of Kimmel’s show by ABC, President Trump was visiting the UK. Trump praised ABC on the “Truth Social” platform for having the courage to do what they did and called for NBC to cancel Fallon’s “The Tonight Show” and “Late Night with Seth Meyers,” describing the hosts as “failures.”
On September 18, Trump stated in London to reporters that ABC stopped “Jimmy Kimmel Live” not simply due to speech controversy but because of “poor ratings.”
American common sense scholar and senior media figure Fang Wei posted on X platform, saying, “Jimmy Fallon, Jimmy Kimmel, and Stephen Colbert’s three major late-night comedy shows are significant platforms through which the left-wing media influence the public in America. The disappearance of these three shows would greatly diminish the media battle power of the leftist ideology. The massive backlash triggered by the stabbing of Charlie Kirk is sweeping through American politics and media.”
Regarding the Kirk assassination case, there are internal divisions among Democrats. On September 19, 95 Democratic members of the House of Representatives joined hands with 215 Republican colleagues in supporting a resolution recognizing Charlie Kirk and condemning political violence. Aside from the 95 affirmative votes from the Democratic members, 38 abstained, and only 58 cast negative votes. The three Democratic leaders – Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries, Whip Katherine Clark, and Caucus Chairman Pete Aguilar – supported the resolution.