Jimmy Kimmel’s late-night show was abruptly pulled from ABC’s schedule this week, and that decision should serve as a wake-up call to Hollywood elites who think they can attack half the country without consequence. Networks are private companies and audiences have the ultimate say; when a host crosses a line, programmers will pay attention.
Kimmel’s incendiary monologue about the tragic shooting of Charlie Kirk sparked outrage across the political spectrum, and viewers and station operators reacted the way free markets make them react — by turning the channel and demanding accountability. There’s nothing noble about celebrating a conservative’s suffering, and entertainers who do so should expect to face real repercussions from both audiences and business partners.
What turned this into a national story was the involvement of the Federal Communications Commission’s chair, Brendan Carr, who publicly suggested there could be regulatory consequences if networks refuse to act. When the operators who actually put programming on the airwaves — like Nexstar — decided to preempt the show, the situation escalated into a broader debate about responsibility, regulation, and the public interest. Conservatives who want fair play should welcome officials who aren’t afraid to call out one-sided, reckless rhetoric.
President Trump rightly celebrated the suspension and pointed to the broader problem of networks acting as partisan organs rather than broadcasters serving the public. If networks choose to weaponize their platforms, it is entirely reasonable for elected leaders and regulators to scrutinize whether those platforms are fulfilling their obligations to viewers.
Let’s also be honest about the business side: Kimmel’s ratings were sliding even before this controversy, and ABC’s parent company made a commercial decision under pressure from affiliates and advertisers who don’t want to be associated with toxic commentary. Free speech doesn’t immunize entertainers from market discipline, and viewers are perfectly justified in taking their eyeballs — and dollars — elsewhere.
Predictably, the left leapt to accuse conservatives of censorship and staged protests outside corporate offices, but outrage doesn’t erase accountability. There’s a difference between government coercion and consumers and station owners using their economic power to demand decency and competence from on-air talent.
If this episode teaches anything, it’s that the days of one-sided late-night preaching with impunity are over. Conservatives should press for fairness and transparency from regulators and broadcasters alike, and applaud leaders who refuse to let the coastal media class intimidate the rest of the country.
