America is still reeling from the brutal, senseless assassination of Charlie Kirk, and hardworking patriots across this country have every right to mourn a man who devoted his life to defending our values and organizing conservative youth. The outpouring of grief was enormous — tens of thousands packed stadiums and paid respects as the nation tried to make sense of a political violence that should have no place in our civic life. This wasn’t political theater; it was a wake-up call that our public square is fraying at the edges and the safety of citizens who speak for traditional values matters.
So imagine the disgust when, at the same time, there were scores of posts online from people on the left openly mocking or even celebrating Kirk’s death — grotesque reactions that exposed a moral collapse in parts of our cultural elites and digital mobs. Journalists and outlets documented videos and social posts that cheered or trivialized the killing, and those images spread without adequate immediate consequence from many platforms. When tribes on the left who preach tolerance instead indulge in glee over a man’s murder, it confirms for millions of Americans what conservatives have long warned: the left’s moral outrage is selective and political.
Meanwhile, the very same cohort that shrugged or worse at those celebratory posts turned furious at Jimmy Kimmel after he criticized how some on the right were responding to the tragedy, a monologue that ABC ultimately took so seriously the network pulled his show temporarily. The contrast is stark and infuriating to anyone who believes in equal application of decency: social media cheers for a killing get muted explanations while a talk-show jab leads to network censure. This is not accidental; it’s institutional bias and cultural cowardice rolled into one spectacle.
Kimmel later returned to the air with an emotional segment insisting he never meant to blame any political group for the killer’s actions, but many conservatives saw it as damage control after a frankly partisan monologue and network fallout. The public is entitled to judge whether his mea culpa was sincere or merely a PR move once affiliates and regulators started breathing down ABC’s neck. The media establishment cannot have it both ways — picking and choosing which speech they will defend based on political convenience only deepens the wounds in our national conversation.
Even Disney’s investors are asking questions about how the company handled Kimmel’s suspension and the financial- and reputational-risk calculus that led to pulling the show from affiliates, which shows this controversy is bigger than late-night jokes. Shareholders demanding transparency is proof that ordinary Americans — not just political activists — want accountability from corporate media, especially when those corporations appear to protect some voices while punishing others. If media conglomerates want to survive public trust, they must stop playing partisan favorites and start applying the same standards to everyone.
The larger problem here is not just individual hypocrisy but the rot in our digital commons, where platforms give oxygen to celebratory posts about murder and then lecture conservatives about civility when our side responds in outrage. Some platforms did eventually act and impose sanctions, but that response was too slow and uneven; companies and regulators must do a better job of enforcing rules that protect the innocent from being dehumanized by mobs. The First Amendment protects speech, but it does not require tech companies to be sanctuaries for calls to violence or for gleeful rejoicing over murder.
Patriots who cherish law and order should demand two things right now: equal accountability for those who celebrated Charlie Kirk’s death, and equal enforcement of standards across the media landscape when hosts like Kimmel cross the line. We can mourn a fallen leader, call out grotesque left-wing behavior, and insist on consequences for bad actors in the press without abandoning our principles. If America is to heal, we must stop the double standards, hold institutions to account, and restore a public culture that cherishes life, free speech, and decency for all.
