ABC’s decision to pre-empt Jimmy Kimmel Live! is the latest example of network television finally being held accountable for anti-conservative rancor that has been normalized in Hollywood for years. After Kimmel’s monologue about the tragic killing of Charlie Kirk sparked outrage, ABC announced the show would be suspended and some affiliates refused to air it. Americans tired of one-sided media narratives should welcome a return to basic fairness and responsibility from our broadcasters.
Kimmel used his monologue to suggest the “MAGA gang” was being hypocritical and accused conservatives of trying to “characterize this kid who murdered Charlie Kirk as anything other than one of them,” a blatantly partisan jab made at a moment of national grief. That kind of casual smearing from a prime-time platform is not comedy — it’s political theater dressed up as satire, and it costs real people and institutions their credibility. When entertainers weaponize tragedy to score political points, the public has every right to demand consequences.
Local station owners did exactly that, with large broadcasters like Nexstar and Sinclair pulling the program from ABC affiliates and refusing to run the show indefinitely. These companies cited Kimmel’s remarks as offensive and out of step with the communities they serve, proving once again that market pressure and local standards still matter. This isn’t censorship by the public, it’s accountability by companies that answer to viewers and advertisers, not woke elites in Burbank.
The fallout went beyond station executives; FCC leadership publicly criticized the comments and even hinted at regulatory consequences, while President Trump applauded the suspension as overdue. The left will scream “censorship,” but it’s telling that those same defenders of free expression suddenly become silent when a superstar comedian repeatedly smears half the country. The proper response to biased media is not to kneel to it — it’s to call it out and let the marketplace of ideas sort the winners from the frauds.
Predictably, establishment voices and some international media painted the move as a threat to press freedom and mobilized boycott campaigns against ABC’s parent company, but that argument rings hollow when you remember who has enjoyed carte blanche to mock, belittle, and misrepresent conservatives for decades. If the media wants the trust of mainstream America back, its talent and executives need to show basic restraint and fairness — not performative outrage that accelerates national division.
Conservatives should be clear-eyed about what happened: this was a moment of accountability, not a victory lap for censorship. Keep the pressure on networks that allow partisan hacks to masquerade as impartial entertainers, support outlets that actually tell the truth, and demand a broadcasting culture that respects all Americans. Our side isn’t asking for special treatment — we’re demanding equal treatment and an end to the lies that poison our civic life.
