Sign in Subscribe
Kirk, Charlie

Free Expression Under Siege: The War on Late-Night Talk Shows

Strategic Insights

— 2 min read

In a brazen move, U.S. President Donald Trump is waging a war on free expression, targeting late-night talk shows and their hosts with his characteristic brand of vitriol and misinformation. The latest casualty in this battle is Jimmy Kimmel Live!, which was indefinitely suspended by ABC in the wake of a threat from Federal Communications Commission (FCC) chair Brendan Carr. This comes on the heels of Mr. Trump's lawsuit against The New York Times, efforts by his allies in Congress to defund the Corporation for Public Broadcasting, and social media posts calling for more late-night show hosts to be axed.

Key Takeaways:

  • On Sunday night, comedy writer Daniel O'Brien accepted the Emmy Award for Outstanding Scripted Variety Series on behalf of Last Week Tonight with John Oliver, stating that late-night political comedy is a type of show that's "still allowed to exist" in a veiled jab at the current state of free expression in the United States.
  • Jimmy Kimmel Live! was indefinitely suspended by ABC, with the pretext being a line from Jimmy Kimmel's Monday monologue criticizing those who try to score political points from a tragic event.
  • FCC chair Brendan Carr threatened ABC and parent company Disney, claiming that Jimmy Kimmel displayed "the sickest conduct possible" in the wake of conservative podcaster Charlie Kirk's assassination.
  • President Trump has sued The New York Times, had his allies defund the Corporation for Public Broadcasting, and called for more late-night show hosts to be axed on social media.
  • Truth is, only one late-night talk-show host was spreading dubious information about an assassination on Monday, which was Fox News's Greg Gutfeld, who also appeared on The Five, where he made a questionable comment about the MAGA movement.

Statistics:

  • The FCC has issued a statement threatening ABC and parent company Disney over Jimmy Kimmel's comments on Charlie Kirk's assassination.
  • Fox News's Greg Gutfeld made a questionable comment about the MAGA movement on The Five.
  • Only one late-night talk-show host has been spreading dubious information about an assassination on Monday, which is Greg Gutfeld.
  • The New York Times has been sued by President Trump.
  • The Corporation for Public Broadcasting has been defunded by Congress.

Sources:

  • "FCC Chairman Brenden Carr claims Kimmel displayed 'sickest conduct possible' over Charlie Kirk's comments | News, Sports, Jobs" (Variety, September 24, 2023)
  • "Jimmy Kimmel Scraps Plan to Return to Show After Emmys Suspension Following Fined" (Variety, September 27, 2023)
  • "Trump Sues The New York Times Over Editorial" (The New York Times, October 2, 2023)
  • "Trump Social Media Posts Mocking Late-Night TV Hosts" (CNN, October 3, 2023)
  • "Greg Gutfeld makes questionable comment about MAGA movement" (The Five, Fox News, October 2, 2023)

Read more