ABC has quietly taken Jimmy Kimmel’s late-night show off the air after the host’s tasteless on-air comments about the tragic killing of conservative activist Charlie Kirk, a move that should have happened sooner. Networks that once pretended to stand for balanced discourse are finally feeling the heat from the grassroots and local stations fed up with one-sided, sloppy commentary. Americans tired of sanctimonious late-night lectures deserve networks that respect the dead and the outrage of viewers.
The decision followed a hard line from Nexstar, one of the country’s largest ABC affiliate owners, which announced it would preempt Kimmel’s show for the foreseeable future and called his remarks offensive and out of touch with local communities. This isn’t some corporate conspiracy — it’s accountability from companies that answer to viewers and advertisers, not coastal comedians who think shock value equals truth. When local station bosses push back, that’s democracy working at a practical level, not censorship.
Even a top federal communications official publicly called Kimmel’s remarks “truly sick,” signaling that there are consequences when high-profile entertainers trade in sloppy political smears instead of jokes. Republicans and conservatives have long warned that media elites use their platforms to shape narratives and dodge responsibility; seeing officials and networks act shows those warnings were justified. If entertainers want to wade into politics, they should be prepared to face the same scrutiny they so eagerly heap on others.
Predictably, Hollywood’s self-appointed moral guardians have erupted in fury, with stars and industry insiders rushing to defend Kimmel and shriek about free speech while ignoring the real victims and the real harm caused by irresponsible rhetoric. The meltdown from actors and left-wing comedians reveals the double standard — outrage only matters when directed at conservative voices, not when it spills from their own. Hardworking Americans see through that performative sanctimony and are rightly fed up with elites lecturing from a pedestal of privilege.
President Trump celebrated the network’s move, and commentators on both sides are now debating Kimmel’s future as his contract approaches its end next year — a reminder that fame is not immunity. Networks, advertisers, and viewers all have a say in what gets broadcast, and when a celebrity repeatedly crosses the line between comedy and cheap partisanship, consequences follow. Conservatives should welcome accountability; it levels the media playing field and forces a return to entertainment that doesn’t weaponize tragedy.
Now is the time for patriotic Americans to keep pressure on media giants and demand balanced coverage and basic decency from the people who fill our screens. Support creators who respect the country and its values, and reject the culture of cheap, mean-spirited attacks dressed up as humor. The left’s outrage machine will howl, but ordinary citizens know the difference between real free speech and broadcasted moral cowardice — and we won’t be fooled.
