For a long time, I have had the idea that only free speech being allowed in this country is speech that others agree with.
It’s crazy to me that we are living in times where people can’t even voice their opinion anymore if it goes against the current administration’s ideologies.
About a week ago, Jimmy Kimmel, the host of “Jimmy Kimmel Live!”, was suspended by ABC indefinitely for comments he made about Charlie Kirk’s killer. Kimmel alleged that the killer was a supporter of the Make America Great Again movement, which, in my opinion, continues to plague the political atmosphere.
Kimmel’s exact comments on the air, which had him removed a day later, were: “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.”
Seriously? This is where we draw the line when it comes to things that can and can’t be said on a show built entirely off of political satire?
I have never been the biggest fan of Kimmel. His comedy doesn’t always hit the mark, but I won’t lie, this situation has been making me laugh and not for good reasons.
The Federal Communications Commission chairman Brendan Carr spoke after the announcement was made, saying that consequences were needed because Kimmel was airing “misleading content.”
If that’s true, why have the countless opinionists at Fox News saying the 2020 election was “stolen” not lost their jobs? Is lying and making things up about the results of a presidential election not misleading content?
The fact that the FCC played a role in this makes it clear: this wasn’t just a network decision but it was rather government-influenced censorship. The First Amendment was written precisely to prevent this kind of overreach. The government should protect our right to speak, not restrain it because it doesn’t fit the current administration’s views.
The FCC allowing something like this to happen is literal proof that government censorship can happen anywhere, anytime and it makes me fearful for what could happen to smaller voices.
President Donald Trump has come out and said that Kimmel was only taken off the air due to “poor ratings.”
This is comical to me because our president can’t even tell the truth about why such a large-scale comedian like Kimmel was taken off the air. He has to come up with a narrative about why this person was bad and needed to have their voice silenced.
If the poor ratings narrative were true, why did the announcement follow the “controversial” comments made by Kimmel and why did Carr say that he needed to face consequences?
It is almost like they are proud of it. The fact is that Trump is saying that all of this is “great news for America,” when, in reality, that couldn’t be any further from the truth.
Whether or not you agree with Jimmy Kimmel’s views, or if you even like his comedy, is irrelevant. What matters is that a major media figure was effectively silenced for expressing a political opinion.
This isn’t just about late-night television. If the government or politically aligned corporations can pull the plug on someone with millions of viewers, what does that mean for student journalists, indie podcasters or campus protestors?
As a student journalist, this strikes especially close to home. If a massive media network won’t stand up to political pressure, how can we expect our college paper to survive if we publish something critical of local officials or controversial national figures?
The chilling effect is real. Self-censorship seems to have become a survival tactic for many of these late-night hosts and comedians out of fear of being next.
I really appreciate the people coming out on their platforms saying that they stand with Kimmel and are hoping for his return.
We can’t sit back and let this become the norm. Whether you consider yourself a democrat, republican or something in between, the right to speak freely is what makes democracy work. Losing it even a little is a loss for all of us.
Speak up. Push back and really try to protect the voices that power our conversations, on national TV and in college newspapers alike.