After 23 seasons on ABC, “Jimmy Kimmel Live,” the beloved late-night show, was canceled on Wednesday, Sept. 17, for expressing an opinion on the assassination of Charlie Kirk. However, it returned on Sept. 23 due to anger from American citizens around the country. Many people like myself were frustrated that the government was able to pressure ABC enough to cancel Kimmel’s show because it directly infringes the First Amendment of the Constitution, instating all citizens’ rights to free speech.
Following Kirk’s death a week prior, the liberal talk show host made a comment stating that President Donald Trump’s supporters, as Kimmel called the “MAGA gang,” are desperately trying to disassociate themselves from the murderer of Kirk, and that President Trump’s supporters are trying to gain “political points” by creating separation from the shooter.
According to CNN, the Federal Communications Commission (FCC) threatened to discipline Kimmel if ABC did not do anything about his comment. FCC Chairman Brendan Carr happens to have been appointed by President Trump, making his connection to the administration even more evident.
President Trump also wrote on X about the situation, saying, “Great News for America: The ratings challenged Jimmy Kimmel Show is CANCELLED. Congratulations to @ABC for finally having the courage to do what had to be done,” even though ABC didn’t really have a choice due to pressure from the FCC. If the broadcasting network did not take action, their entire program was at risk of being discontinued.
In the First Amendment of the United States Constitution it says, “Congress shall make no law … abridging the freedom of speech.” This means that all citizens of the U.S. have the ability to say whatever they want as long as it is not harassment, true threats and intimidation, according to the Foundation for Individual Rights and Expression.
Kimmel’s comments were none of these. All he was doing was making a statement about President Trump’s supporters, and the only reason Kimmel’s comment blew up the way that it did is because President Trump felt targeted, and therefore got Carr to take action against Kimmel. ABC didn’t have another option.
The only thing that Kimmel did was express his feelings about the situation, which should not have been penalized. Kimmel even gave his condolences to Kirk’s family right after his death, showing that he does have some respect for Kirk and his family. Kimmel was not negating the tragedy of gun violence by his comment about Kirk’s death. What he did on his show was simply express his opinion about President Trump’s supporters.
All of this boils down to one thing. Suppression. No part of the government, especially the president, should be able to pressure the network to cancel a TV show because they oppose what the host is saying. This is a direct infringement of free speech. The point of having late-night shows like “Jimmy Kimmel Live” is to offer a range of hosts with varying opinions so there is at least one host who connects with almost everyone. It is ridiculous to silence any of these voices just because of political disagreement.
Conservative talk show and podcast hosts including Kirk use their platforms to state their opinions and exercise their First Amendment rights. Even though some people disagree with Kirk’s points of view, his program was never threatened to be cancelled.
One of the reasons I am so proud to be American is because we have the five freedoms of the First Amendment. If I wanted to, I could go to protests against the government without worry, and I can say whatever I want as long as it doesn’t harm others, which gives me comfort. I feel lucky to have these rights because so many people in the world do not. The fact that the government was easily able to influence this scenario because they heard a statement they did not like is unsettling and against the Constitution.
Even though the show is back, that does not mean this issue has blown over. The precedent of restricting free speech still stands. Because of this incident, many people may not feel as comfortable sharing their opinions publicly, because they are scared that there will be repercussions. This is the exact opposite of the principles that America was founded under.
When Vice President JD Vance took over Kirk’s podcast on Sept. 15, he urged employees to report any of their co-workers to their bosses if they were celebrating the death of Kirk. This is a direct violation of freedom of speech, as people should not be reported unless it is a direct violation of free speech. Celebrating the death of a public figure one doesn’t like may not be morally correct, but it is not grounds for reporting.
Freedom of speech must be restored, because that is one of the things that makes America stand apart from the rest of the world. Right now, the mess that is happening regarding the First Amendment rights is just making the United States disorganized and pathetic.
Based on recent events from the Kimmel scenario to the budget cutting of PBS, it seems like the current government is just removing things that don’t align with their values, making the leadership almost like a dictatorship. The government is supposed to protect U.S. citizens’ rights, not detract from them.
