By Mike Bibb
"We hit some new lows over the weekend, with 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." — The Jimmy Kimmel Show, ABC, Sept. 15, 2025.
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In typical Hollywood fashion, self-anointed "expert-on-everything" — talk show host Jimmy Kimmel — informed us recently on his program that the assassin of Charlie Kirk in Orem, Utah was done by a member of "the MAGA gang."
His show was almost instantly cancelled by the Walt Disney Company and ABC.
In this particular instance, his peculiar brand of not-so-funny jokes failed to elicit laughs, other than a few in the audience. Apparently, most of the rest of the country failed to see the humor.
Within a few days Jimmy Kimmel was outside, looking into the darkened studios of his former show and probably wondering "What in the hell just happened?"
"I'm a huge Hollywood star. Everyone knows that. I have awards to prove it. They can't just toss me out on my ear!" may have been his thoughts.
Except, big bosses at Disney, ABC and major television station owners Nexstar Media and Sinclair Broadcast Group, did exactly that. They've stopped airing his show.
When a guy, touting himself as a late-night TV commentator and comedian, begins to spout stuff that is obviously misinformation and outright lies, and the public instantly recognizes it, then it doesn't take very long for the poop to hit the fan.
Then of course, the Federal Communications Commission might become involved. There's such a thing as fairness in broadcasting, and when a program or commentator, employed by a company holding an FCC license begins to exceed the limits of its sanctioned authority, then more headaches can accumulate for that company.
It's not a matter of free speech, as Kimmel may believe. He's is/was simply an employee of a company regulated by the FCC.
He's entitled to his own opinions and can express them whenever he wishes — just not on an evening talk and comedy television program, owned and operated by a private entertainment and television business.
There are radio and TV shows specifically programed towards political news, discussion and debate. However, their FCC charters must specifically indicate this.
Regrettably, there's been a tendency for many of these entertainment businesses to lean left-of-center when expressing their opinions. For the most part, there hasn't been much pushback by regulatory authorities.
The Jimmy Kimmel flap may have stirred a previously slow-simmering pot.
Ironically, a bad joke — performed by a bad jokester — could become the basis for Federal intervention and investigation into the entertainment, radio and television domain.
Especially, since it pretended to make fun of the assassination of a popular individual, performed by a depraved shooter, and linking the killing to a major political party representing about half the country.
Late night comedy TV has fallen a long way since the Johnny Carson days.
