America’s late-night TV hosts have rallied behind fellow comedian Jimmy Kimmel after he was suspended by ABC in a row over comments he made about the killing of Charlie Kirk.
Stephen Colbert began his show by saying “we are all Jimmy Kimmel”, and said the star’s removal was a “blatant assault on freedom of speech”.
Seth Meyers declared it was “a privilege and honour to call Jimmy Kimmel my friend”, while Jon Stewart and Jimmy Fallon tackled the free speech issue by doing satirical sketches in which they were apparently forced to praise Donald Trump.
Their broadcasts came shortly after the US president said the main networks were overwhelmingly negative about him and could have their licences “taken away”.
Can we stop giving a shit about corporate shills shilling for each other? I get that this is a great example of government overreach, but like we’re all just talking about it. Nobody is marching in the streets. Nobody is quitting their jobs.
Instead of just backing him, they should have all repeated his statements. Force a reaction.
I am pretty sure it wouldn’t matter because the statements that they actually cared about were his comments about Epstein related stuff the episodes prior.
First they start with cancellations, then with imprisonment, then disappearances and finally murders. This is what happens in Russia, Iran, the USA and other undemocratic countries.
The party of free speech is actually the party of censorship. Fascism is amazing.
Anyone with influence need to go on strike. Across every network and every venue. One last video that says, “We are in fascism times. We are going to go off air until democracy is restored, either through the resignation or convicted impeachment of Donald Trump or through Democratic bodies across the United States begin resisting the federal administration.”
We don’t need any more celebrities blowing hot air and being Pikachu faced. We need people who have something to lose being willing to lose it all and standing next to people who already have.
Silencing themselves is counter productive. They need to do the opposite. They need to use their platform to make as much noise as possible.
They can and should protest in other ways, but to sit out is to give the other side what they want, and to squander their ability to affect change.
I’m not saying they should silence themselves. I’m suggesting that they should remove their assets, e.g. in the case of late night hosts, no longer producing content.
The problem with just speaking out is that their corporate overlords still have a product to sell and so long as that exists, they are allowing those overlords who support this fascist asshole to hold power.
While I appreciate your sentiment, it’s important to consider how it will actually play out. Above all else, (nearly) every corporation will take the path that is the most profitable. That will decide each step along the way.
First, ABC will happily replace Kimmel with whomever brings in the money. It might be a full-on Nazi, or it might just be inoffensive Kimmel-lite that won’t rock the boat. The time slot will not simply go empty.
Something similar would happen to Fallon, Stewart, and the rest.
At this point, the influencers begin to lose their influence. They are no longer the voice of a frustrated nation. They become a former voice. Someone that we used to listen to. This is actually where Jon Stewart was for a number of years, and I’m still not convinced he’s regained his influence.
When the voices we need are silent, other voices will rise to the top. By definition, they will not be what we need. They will probably be working against us.
I don’t have a solution to any of this. I’m merely analyzing the problems of one approach.
So those who still have an opposition voice should silence themselves to “own” the fascists? That’s not gonna have any downside, I’m sure. Yes of course leave all the airwaves to the MAGA.
That is the answer! A writer’s strike. Those writers could work on Independent projects just in case the bosses don’t want to compromise. Nobody on the right has any ability to make entertainment unless you count laughing at people getting hurt. Really those independent projects they’re working on while on strike should be published and if they’re popular they should strike out on their own and abandon these corporate parasites that contribute nothing other than controlling the gates, but the internet has many games so fuck them.
Owwww, my balls!
I don’t think networks make much money off those shows. They probably have no incentive to care about a strike.
Every time they negotiate for wages or something they say they don’t make any money off of it, if it was not for those writers nobody would subscribe to their dog shit channels in the first place.
If you’re outraged that a single person decided to kill Charlie Kirk but not that the government, on multiple occasions, pushed to silence Jmmy Kimmel, and his show is now off the air, you’re not the patriot you think you are.
Uh… Donald Trump has been acting very un-American for a long time. None of his followers are patriots to the country for the values it actually stands for.
They love to claim that they’re patriots every chance they get. I wasn’t implying that they are, just that they believe they are.
Jimmy, Stephen, scientist, and Ms Rachel. Snowflake cucks.
Colbert switched back to the sarcastic version Republicans thought was authentic.
Stewart replaced his seat with gold leaf and had his news stream recreate Sinclair media all giving the same exact statement.
I can’t wait for next South Park tho, that’s gonna be some crazy shit if they pushed it back a week to redo it.
I thought South Park was pushed back because it wasn’t done in time?
They make it in like 3 days based off current events…
The only reason they’d “run out of time” is if a huge story breaks and they want to redo the script.
Even if they originally wanted to redo it to tone it down (incredibly unlikely) Trump’s attacks on free speech trumps everything else that happened.
It’s going to be the entire focus of the next episode.
So “we ran out of time” while true,is most likely because they scrapped what they already started.
If they have to redo an episode every time a big story comes to light, I fear we may see fewer and fewer episodes.
Remember, cancel disney+, hulu, and espn and tell them its because they canceled kimmel. Make it hurt Disney’s wallet, its the only thing they understand.
That’s all cute, but what good will it do?
The right don’t care. Every minimal pressure they can exert will at minimal, at very minimal make people self censor themselves just a little bit more. That is what they want and they are succeeding marvellously.
You still have to apply pressure. Otherwise you will just bleed out. They are winning the media war by being the loudest, (soon only), not the actual majority of people who agree. Remember this is a class war. They are few with all the money.
That’s true, but I don’t see it working. All these comedians/talk show hosts have been doing this for decades and that did nothing. Nothing. The opposite actually, normalizing abhorrent things by trivializing them for (a lot of times) cheap laughs.
What is going on is not a media matter for multi-millionaires to joke about on the billionaire tv networks.
That’s defeatism.
Your house is falling into disrepair yet you’ve been sweeping the floors and cleaning the dishes for decades.
Yes, it needs major work, and no, it can’t be fixed with brooms and sponges.
Thats not defeatism.
And that’s not sweeping the floor. That’s some weird smugness of being right while the house falls into disrepair. Worth nothing.
It can create a hard place. If the current government is a rock, these late night hosts can create a hard place, to catch the network between. The network cares about money - if the government starts taking away licenses, they can’t make money, so they’ll roll over (as they have done). But they can’t make money without their talent either, so the hosts can push back from the other side to maintain their platform/voice.
Will it work? Maybe not. Will giving up? Definitely not.
Honestly though taking Jimmy Kimmel off the air is probably the sole Trump action I can get on board with. 🤣
A funny joke - but said at the wrong time for sure.
Tough crowd
I get what you’re saying, but this isn’t that. This is an attack on the first amendment and censorship of comics and the media. I don’t think Kimmel is funny either, he aggravated me every time he hosted the damn Oscars and I don’t watch his show, but I’m 100% behind him in this situation. He’s being punished and silenced for his first amendment right.
Why? The show is hilarious.
I bet all the liberal hosts will step down in solidarity to protest this blatant attempt at destroying first amendment protected speech. Then the GOP can appoint new comedian hosts to take their place. Get ready for Tom Segura’s Late Show and Kill Tony’s Primetime Slop Hour.
I don’t listen to Seguras podcasts but is he really considered conservative? He seems to be pro environmental activism, for more gun control, and shits on the way we have treated immigrants last I knew.
He’s largely not, the poster is full of shit
This such ridiculously misinformed comment, I don’t even know where to start
