YOUNGSTOWN, Ohio – Talk show host Jimmy Kimmel’s suspension and subsequent return represents a win – but hardly a final victory – for proponents of the First Amendment.
As a news organization, it should come as no surprise that The Business Journal supports its protections, and we are concerned by current trends.
“Jimmy Kimmel Live!” was taken off the air by ABC after the host made comments on Sept. 15 that suggested the alleged killer was a MAGA supporter and the president’s camp was trying to score political points from the situation.
Less than a week later, the network announced the show would return.
Federal Communications Commission Chairman Brandon Carr – appointed by President Donald Trump, who is a frequent target of late-night hosts – suggested the FCC could act against ABC and its affiliates if they did not take action against Kimmel. Large affiliate groups announced they would no longer air Kimmel’s show before ABC suspended it. At press time, despite ABC’s Sept. 22 reversal, stations operated by Nexstar Media Group, including Youngstown’s WYTV, planned to continue preempting the show.
Two months earlier, CBS announced that it was canceling “The Late Show With Stephen Colbert.” Though the network said ending the show was a financial decision, host Colbert also frequently skewered Trump. The cancellation came after CBS owner Paramount Global sought approval for a merger with Skydance Media.
ABC’s suspension didn’t prove to be the last word. U.S. Sen. Ted Cruz, R-Texas – no friend of liberal causes or the media – blasted as “dangerous as hell” the suggestion that the FCC would take action against ABC.
“If the government gets in the business of saying: ‘We don’t like what you the media have said. We’re going to ban you from the airwaves if you don’t say what we like,’ that will end up bad for conservatives,” Cruz said.
Disney’s stock fell during Kimmel’s suspension. Reports showed the company lost some $3.8 billion in value. And consumers in droves canceled their Disney+ and Hulu streaming subscriptions.
As media outlets everywhere seem under siege, including the Pentagon’s new restrictions on coverage, the whole episode is a potent reminder of the power of free speech.