On 17th September, Jimmy Kimmel’s late-night show went off air, throwing hundreds of people’s lives and livelihoods into limbo and raising serious concerns about free speech in the world’s most powerful democracy. You may ask why the channel head hauled the show off broadcast. The answer is a single comment the host made about Charlie Kirk’s assassination. In fact, it was trivial political banter—the kind late-night shows have delivered for decades.
By suspending the show immediately, the ruling right-wing party not only revealed its glaring hypocrisy but also its thin skin. Supporters of the suspension accused Kimmel of mocking a dead man and his legacy. That man, Charlie Kirk, held very little importance except as a right-wing stooge propagating hate campaigns for the current ruling government.
At best, he was a glorified political influencer and a shining beacon of hate speech—ironically, the same thing his supporters accused Kimmel of. Moreover, he spewed his bigoted beliefs under the guise of free speech and claimed to stand for it, yet his allies cannot fathom that suspending Kimmel actually dishonors his memory if they believe he truly stood for free speech.
CULTURAL RELEVANCE OF THE LATE NIGHT SHOW
Historically, since the late-night show format emerged in the 50s, hosts have always focused on politics, satire, and grown-up talk—hence the term ‘late night.’ In addition, networks reserved the 11pm slot for post-dinner adult viewing, which meant more culturally relevant, less family-oriented, and more politically charged content.
The program schedule gave hosts a liberty previously unknown and unheard of in television, and in return, the shows gained a surge of power previously unfamiliar to the medium, revolutionizing the TV and entertainment industry.
While the format blurred the line between entertainment and politics in a room that mimicked the American living room, hosts’ newfound liberty to mock and discuss whatever was on America’s plate in whatever way they deemed fit struck a chord with the American audience. It gained a new layer of importance when Kennedy and Nixon appeared on Tonight Starring Jack Paar in the 60s during their election campaigns. The late-night show became a mainstay of American television, and its popularity reached an iconic status that not only provided infotainment but also gave politicians a platform to campaign more effectively and sway public opinion in their favor.
TRUMP’S DISMISSAL OF FREE SPEECH
Trump saw a glimpse of the late-night show’s power when he first appeared on Fallon’s show in 2016. Fallon ruffled Trump’s hair in what seemed blatantly rehearsed, humanizing him and giving him a seal of unofficial approval just two months before the presidential elections. Fallon later apologized, and Trump retaliated in his traditional brand of critique birthed in a vat of acid.
Knowing very well the power late-night shows possess, he now seeks to block any access for the opposition to voice its stance. In doing so, he risks completely erasing late-night shows and the American values and culture they have represented for decades. The less people hear from the other side, the easier they forget it even exists.
JIMMY KIMMEL RETURNS: FREE SPEECH RESTORED?
After heavy backlash from Hollywood celebrities condemning Kimmel’s suspension and signing an open letter in his support, Disney, the parent company of ABC, decided to bring back the show to its schedule from Tuesday night onwards.
But just because Jimmy Kimmel’s show returned to air, does it mean free speech is restored and no longer under grave threat? Not at all. Disney reinstated the show only because its stock plummeted and it suffered financial losses—not because it cares about the Constitution or citizens’ rights.
After the suspension, Trump not only celebrated Kimmel’s removal but also lashed out at other late-night hosts, Seth Meyers and Jimmy Fallon, called them losers, and urged the networks to cancel their shows as well. ABC replaced Kimmel’s slot with a tribute to Kirk, showing zero allegiance to the hundreds of employees who had worked for the company for years or to the Constitution.
The fiasco exposed not only the fickle nature of the entertainment business but also how politics becomes business. Consequently, democracy becomes a sheep ready to be thrown out and sacrificed at a minute’s notice for monetary gain.
When the leading superpower of the world restricts the space in which its citizens can exercise their rights, it sets a concerning precedent for others to follow—especially given the soft power and cultural influence the United States holds. In doing so, it also risks distancing itself from the political and socio-cultural values it has long claimed to represent.
The precedent a leader with increasingly autocratic tendencies is shaping must not only be acknowledged and carefully critiqued but also thoughtfully challenged. After all, democracy has always drawn its strength from the room it allows for disagreement, and preserving that space is essential to its survival.
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