First Colbert, now Kimmel. This past week, ABC announced that it is indefinitely suspending Jimmy Kimmel’s late-night comedy show based on distasteful comments Kimmel made about the death of Charlie Kirk, who was assassinated at Utah Valley University on September 10.

Kimmel claimed in the murder’s aftermath, “[The] MAGA gang desperately trying to characterize this kid who murdered Charlie Kirk as anything other than one of them and doing everything they can to score political points from it.”

It’s an odd statement given evidence strongly suggests that Tyler Robinson, Kirk’s alleged assassin, was not at all part of the “MAGA gang” and even scrawled messages on his bullet casings to tell the world that he was quite the opposite. Then again, shows like Kimmel’s and Colbert’s have long abandoned attempts at humor, which has historically included taking jabs at both sides of the political aisle. Instead, many of these shows have become stages for slightly veiled partisan politics. Journalist Matt Taibbi writes,

Of all the network late night acts, Kimmel’s was the most vicious and unredeeming, continually hitting new lows during the pandemic in particular, with the aforementioned AntiVax Barbie and his “Rest in Peace, Wheezy” monologue sure to go down as cultural anti-landmarks. Virtually everything he said in the Trump era was DNC messaging with a punchline, putting him on course to spend the afterlife doing laps in media hell with Keith Olbermann. With his ratings in freefall, Disney was going to drop the axe sooner or later.

Chair of the Federal Communication Commission (FCC) Brendan Carr said he was appalled by Kimmel’s comments. The FCC is responsible for licensing media and communication airwaves in the country.

Free Speech and the Market

Kimmel’s ratings were on the decline, so there was financial incentive to take him off the air. CBS gave the same vindication for putting an expiration date on Colbert’s evening program. Corporations have the prerogative to fire people if they feel they aren’t living up to expectations or paying real dividends. Kimmel and Colbert both fit in that category. Nonetheless, some are concerned about the FCC’s overreach in regulating media. Newsweek reports,

Media watchdogs and free speech advocates are closely monitoring these developments, which intersect with broader concerns about government intervention in broadcast content and potential impacts for political discourse ahead of next year’s midterm elections.

Carr praised ABC’s decision on X, writing:

“I want to thank Nexstar for doing the right thing. Local broadcasters have an obligation to serve the public interest. While this may be an unprecedented decision, it is important for broadcasters to push back on Disney programming that they determine falls short of community values. I hope that other broadcasters follow Nexstar’s lead.”

Nexstar Media Group owns a number of ABC affiliates and is working on a merger with another company that requires the FCC’s approval.

Free speech, government media licensing, and market concerns all play a part in this story. For conservatives, the left’s appeal to free speech may fall flat after years of censorship in legacy outlets and social media platforms. It’s a can of worms now. The media world is remarkably different than it was just a year ago as the country flies under the banner of the “vibe shift” and leftist orthodoxy no longer fully captures our politics and institutions.