Jimmy Kimmel Will Return This Week
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Last week, Jimmy Kimmel’s comedy show was suspended in light of perceived offensive and untimely comments he made about Charlie Kirk and his assassin. Now, ABC and Disney are ready to bring back Jimmy Kimmel Live!. On Monday the company released an official statement, “Last Wednesday, we made the decision to suspend production on the show to avoid further inflaming a tense situation at an emotional moment for our country. It is a decision we made because we felt some of the comments were ill-timed and thus insensitive. We have spent the last days having thoughtful conversations with Jimmy, and after those conversations, we reached the decision to return the show on Tuesday.”
Despite this, some companies such as Sinclair have decided not to air the program. Part of the controversy over the suspension comes from the Federal Communications Commission (FCC) chair, Brendan Carr’s, ill-advised comments on the matter that were seen as threats among Democrats and some Republican Senators. This led to a boycott against Disney and ABC, with critics accusing them of bowing to pressure from the Trump administration. Another FCC member Anna M. Gomez, clarified the FCC’s role. She explained, “We cannot allow an inexcusable act of political violence to be twisted into a justification for government censorship and control. This FCC does not have the authority, the ability, or the constitutional right to police content or punish broadcasters for speech the government dislikes.
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According to sources from The Hollywood Reporter, Kimmel had originally planned on doubling down on his rhetoric and refusing to apologize for his comments after being asked to tone down the speech and make a meaningful donation to Kirk’s Turning Point, USA. It is unclear whether the decision was made due to pressure from the FCC or the company’s own decision based on Kimmel’s behavior, but many, especially those on the left, see the initial suspension as a threat against free speech, citing the FCC’s chair comments as proof. Some on the right compared Kimmel’s situation to Gina Carano’s firing years earlier, a decision that was reversed in a recent settlement.
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Source(s): The Hollywood Reporter, NBC News
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