On September 17–18, 2025, ABC quietly pulled Jimmy Kimmel’s long-running late-night show off the air after a firestorm over a monologue that crossed the line from comedy into politicized attack following the killing of conservative activist Charlie Kirk. The network’s move was not sudden theater; it came after affiliates began refusing to carry the program, and ABC acted to avoid a bigger mess for its brand and shareholders. What happened was a reminder that broadcasters answer to viewers and affiliates, not a Hollywood echo chamber that gets to lecture the rest of America without consequence.
The decision followed major affiliate groups — including Nexstar and Sinclair — announcing they would preempt Kimmel’s show and the Federal Communications Commission’s chairman publicly criticizing the remarks, creating real pressure on a network that can’t afford regulatory headaches as it navigates mergers and market scrutiny. This wasn’t some orchestrated “attack” on comedy; it was affiliates voting with their airwaves and the regulator doing his job to protect the public interest. Conservatives should cheer affiliates that finally put viewers ahead of left-wing entertainers who use their platforms to inflame instead of inform.
President Trump didn’t mince words, calling Kimmel’s removal a result of lousy ratings and a lack of talent — an argument echoed across conservative media — and those observations hit a nerve because the American people can see through elite whining. Meanwhile, Newsmax and other honest outlets put the focus where it belongs: accountability for a host who traded jokes for political grandstanding and cost his employers real business. The left’s crocodile tears about “censorship” ring hollow when you remember how quickly those same people cheered when conservatives were pushed out of entertainment and media in years past.
Make no mistake: this is also a market story. Networks and affiliates aren’t government agencies; they answer to advertisers, viewers, and the law — and if a host damages that balance, there are consequences. Legal and media analysts point out that First Amendment arguments don’t automatically protect a private employer’s editorial choices, and conservatives should stop pretending every private corrective action is a constitutional crisis. If Americans want entertainment that reflects their values and common sense, they should support outlets that earn trust and ratings instead of subsidizing sanctimony.
