On the evening of Sept.15, 2025, Jimmy Kimmel hoisted himself on a petard the progressive left had built for those on the right. As the biblical story of Esther long ago taught, those who would put themselves first (Haman) may become victims of their own design. For those unfamiliar with this Old Testament classic, the king’s advisor Haman expected to receive great honour and become the object of the sovereign’s affection. His hatred for the Jews included a plan to have Mordecai, a court rival (and a Jew), hanged on the gallows Haman had built for the occasion. Instead, at Queen Esther’s request, the King spared Mordecai and the Jews, while Haman was hanged on the gallows he had built for his enemy.
For the past decade, progressives have attempted to cancel people who dared to challenge left-wing ideology on issues of morality, race, gender, and climate. The examples of people on the right being blocked from speaking on campuses, allowed to publish articles in mainstream newspapers, or appear on traditional media, read like a laundry list. The cornering of entertainment, news, and sports media became a sacred protectorate of the liberal elite. When Johnny Carson left NBC in 1992, he had spent thirty years alone as the host of late-night TV, occasionally having to swat off competition like a pesky fly at a picnic. Carson made fun of both sides, never giving a second thought to becoming partisan because he believed his role at NBC was to entertain all Americans. His bosses on the corporate side also understood that the airwaves were under the control of the FCC (Federal Communications Commission), and they expected television and its personalities to play it straight.
After Carson, Jay Leno and David Letterman respected that standard, though Letterman’s drift to the left became more pronounced the longer he hosted. Stephen Colbert replaced Letterman, and that’s when things changed. Colbert demoted comedy in place of political partisanship. As with most progressives, he believed his cause to be moral and upright. The rise of Trumpism spurred him into outspoken advocacy for liberal ideals, and his competitors at ABC (Jimmy Kimmel) and NBC (Jimmy Fallon) followed suit. The three networks soon decided that they could ignore half the country, and the ratings revealed the decision to abandon middle America.
Kimmel became something of a special case. His background began in what would today be called the Manosphere. His show was a populist defence of what interests men – beer, junk food, busty women and no interest in political correctness. When he moved up to become ABC’s lead late-night host, he seemed to embrace the politics of his newly acquired celebrity and financial status. As Michael Brendan Dougherty suggested on The Editors (National Review Podcast), he took the zeal of a convert into his show, spreading the good news of left-wing ideology. His frequent jabs at Charlie Kirk appear, to some, to reflect what is often called “Trump Derangement Syndrome (TDS).” Kimmel himself has said that the only normal response to Trump is TDS. Whether authentic or not, his nightly outrages are a feature of his program, which has faced ratings challenges in recent years.
He did not hold the upper hand in shaping the narrative about Kirk’s killer. He went ahead anyway and repeated claims about the accused shooter and his political leanings that were later disputed by Governor Spencer Cox of Utah and other credible sources. According to reports, Tyler Robinson (charged in Kirk’s killing) was alleged to hold left-leaning views and to have been in a same-sex relationship. Some commentators argued that Robinson may have targeted Kirk due to his outspoken views on transgender issues, though the exact motive has not been definitively established.
When Bob Iger, head of Disney (ABC’s parent company), saw this unfolding, reports suggest he was concerned. Many observers believed Iger’s return was aimed at reducing partisanship and stabilizing Disney’s media holdings. When asked to apologize, Kimmel gave every indication he would double down. ABC could not let him back on the air and suspended him. If this completed the story, it would be a clean cut, and Kimmel would own it lock, stock, and barrel. Sadly, the story did not end there. A missing piece reveals how the Trump Administration sometimes goes too far or moves too quickly. Affiliates across the country were already moving to shut Kimmel down. If an affiliate refuses to air a network show, it soon becomes a problem. Not only were affiliates bearing down on Kimmel, but Nexstar (a multimedia company awaiting a merger worth millions, depending on FCC approval) and Sinclair (a conservative media company that owns dozens of ABC affiliates) were also up in arms. It would have been enough to force Disney to tell ABC to can Kimmel.
Instead, Brendan Carr, head of the FCC, went on Benny Johnson’s show (a conservative host) to argue that the FCC has not been invoking its public interest obligation in its licensing rules and must enforce these immediately. This came after President Donald Trump had been musing about pulling licenses from most networks because they oppose him. Carr claimed, “It’s not about any particular show or any particular person,” he said. “It’s just that we’re in the midst of a very disruptive moment right now.” It sounded contrived and allowed Kimmel and his apologists to look persecuted. Brit Hume, a legendary conservative news journalist, wrote on X, “The First Amendment does not protect performers like Jimmy Kimmel from being cancelled by their private sector employers. But I would have liked the outcome a lot better if the chairman of the FCC had not involved himself in it.” Senator Cruz of Texas, Senator Jerry Moran of Kansas and other conservatives, including Tucker Carlson, also weighed in to express reservations about Carr’s involvement.
Kimmel no doubt deserves to be sidelined and likely fired (he returned on September 23rd after a short five-day suspension and gave what many critics saw as a weak apology while complimenting Erika Kirk for her exemplary Christian act of forgiveness). His show’s ratings have been in long-term decline (though they rose dramatically upon his return), and the time for using public airwaves to express partisan political ideas should long be over. Kimmel can become a podcaster, join HBO or another streaming network and pitch his political musings all day. Licensed broadcasters agree to a different standard, and if liberal talk show hosts are going to dominate the airwaves, they had better be prepared for blowback when conservatives seize the reins of power. What is good for the Peacock will have to be good for the Fox and vice versa.
Dave Redekop is a retired elementary resource teacher who worked part-time at the St. Catharines Courthouse as a Registrar until being appointed Executive Director at Redeemer Bible Church in October 2023. He has worked on political campaigns since high school and attended university in South Carolina for five years, earning a Master’s in American History with a specialization in Civil Rights. Dave loves reading biographies.
