Free speech has come into question in the past few weeks. How the First Amendment is interpreted has been a topic of hot debate, with the recent removal and return of “Jimmy Kimmel Live!”—a late-night, left-leaning talk show that summarizes national news into comedic bite-sized chunks.
During the opening segment of Kimmel’s show on Sept. 15, Kimmel commented on the right’s reaction to the assassination of Charlie Kirk and the subsequent arrest of suspected shooter Tyler Robinson. In the wake of the arrest, a prosecutor cited Robinson’s relationship with his transgender roommate as a factor in the shooting.
“The MAGA gang [is] 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,” Kimmel said.
After the segment aired, there was significant backlash from viewers who felt that the comments made were inappropriately making light of the assassination of the Turning Point founder and beloved conservative figure. While Kimmel’s show regularly faces criticism, the pressure intensified when Federal Communications Commission (FCC) Chairman Brendan Carr seemingly threatened legal action against Disney, saying, “This is a very, very serious issue right now for Disney. We can do this the easy way or the hard way. These companies can find ways to take action on Kimmel or there is going to be additional work for the FCC ahead.”. In addition, Carr rallied local station owners, saying that it was “time for them to step up.”
Hours after Carr’s remarks, major media companies Nextstar and Sinclair announced that they would not air “Jimmy Kimmel Live!” until further discussion and chided Kimmel, saying that his comments were “inappropriate and deeply insensitive at a critical moment for our country.”. At the same time, both Nextstar and Sinclair require a license renewal by the FCC. There is concern that Nextstar and Sinclair fell under pressure and were influenced by their FCC license renewal.
Many individuals believe that Kimmel’s comments were merely an observation of right-wing reactions and not intended to make light of Charlie Kirk’s murder. The removal of Kimmel’s show sparked outrage among left-leaning, moderate, and even some prominent right-wing individuals, who believed that this was a violation of free speech. Discourse continues among the Nueva community, where students are concerned about the future of free speech.
“I think this situation is pretty worrying as it shows that we are moving towards an increasingly suppressive state,” said Oliver A. ’26 about “Jimmy Kimmel Live!”
Additionally, Kyle W. ’27 said, “This sets a precedent of censorship, which is contradictory to American ideals… it is also a pretty potent example of restrictions of freedom, but of course it is only one of many going on right now.”
A week later, on September 22nd, Disney released a statement saying that “Jimmy Kimmel Live!” would be brought back. At the time, Nextstar and Sinclair continued to preempt the show; however, only a few days later, on September 26th, both stations announced that they would once again air Kimmel’s show.