It seems every day the country inches closer and closer to becoming a dictatorship, as people who say anything against our government are being shut down one by one. Jimmy Kimmel, an ABC late-night show host known for his comedy, was temporarily taken off air because of a “controversial statement” he made on air about conservative influencer Charlie Kirk’s recent assassination.
In summary, Kimmel had a bit on his show where he primarily said that the Make America Great Again (MAGA) supporters were using Kirk’s death as a way to score political points, and how President Donald Trump cared more about the construction of a ballroom at the White House than the death of Kirk, a man he called a friend, supporting this claim with videos.
I saw the videos, I watched the clip from the show, and along with what seems like millions of others, I don’t see any problem with it other than the fact that Kimmel dug at Trump. Who hasn’t at this point?
Kimmel’s ban, which was put in place on Wednesday, Sept. 17, was lifted on September 22. I assume it was from the large number of celebrities and people who rebelled against the ban, which was high in number. After the news broke of him being cancelled, it seemed every celebrity who had ever been on his show spoke out about it. Even on air, some other talk show hosts spoke out about it, like Jimmy Fallon, host of “The Tonight Show Starring Jimmy Fallon.” Other hosts, such as “The Daily Show” host Jon Stewart and “Late Night with Seth Meyers” host Seth Meyers had made some references to the cancellation in recent episodes, although both were mostly laced with sarcasm and comedy.
Disney, the parent company of ABC, made a statement regarding the ban, essentially saying that Kimmel was taking time off to make sure he doesn’t make situations worse in the country by making ill-timed and insensitive comments. Furthermore, Disney stated that it had been “having thoughtful conversations” with him, according to AdWeek, although that sounds like it was anything but thoughtful.
In any case, this was another power move by Trump, practically following along the same path as Stephen Colbert, another late-night show that has been cancelled. CBS stated that the show was being cancelled because of financial reasons, not because of its content, according to PBS. However, this announcement was made not long after Trump made a $16 million dollar suit against CBS for an edited 60 Minutes episode with Kamala Harris, where she was edited to have two different answers to the same question in the same interview shown at different times, according to Fox News.
Trump even celebrated the fact that Colbert was taken off air, saying that “his talent was even less than his ratings,” according to POLITICO, but that’s not all he said. He followed that sentence with, “I heard Jimmy Kimmel is next.” This was back in July, way before Kimmel said any of this stuff. So was the cancellation of Kimmel’s show planned? Was MAGA waiting for the right moment, for the right sentence or bit to get ABC and Disney enough of a reason to get him off air with a wave of their hand? If I were to believe in conspiracies, I would say so.
For a free country, it seems every opinion comes with a cost nowadays. This is a country where every person who steps foot in it should be treated with respect and equality, where everyone is created equal. It seems Trump didn’t even have to take a single step to make himself better than everyone else, to make his opinion be the only one that matters, to split American citizens apart so we can fight each other instead of wasting his time trying to take care of us himself.
Trump pushing Kimmel off air because he doesn’t appreciate what is being said about him is like sending a kindergartener to prison because he called you stinky. Maybe Trump should take a walk around any city or town in the country and listen to what worse things they’re saying before he gets mad over one man. That’s my solution, although if that were to happen, I’m sure after his feelings got hurt, he wouldn’t support free speech as much when he returned to the White House and started sulking in its new ballroom.
So, who’s next in Trump’s political cancelling parade? Fallon, a beloved TV show host for decades known for his optimism and comedy? What about Meyers or Stewart? Or the stand-up comedian at a comedy club down the street who’s just trying to make people laugh? Or any citizen who speaks badly about him, just because their words are “ill-minded?” I thought we were supposed to learn that the world isn’t all cupcakes and rainbows once we get into middle school – that not everything you want is yours to demand.
It is unconstitutional, it is unjust and it is unacceptable from a man who cares more about what he thinks than the millions of people he should care about.
Hayley Doda can be contacted at
hayley@kscequinox.com
