Jimmy Kimmel strutted back onto his ABC stage this week after a short suspension, delivering a self-styled defense of free speech and a teary monologue that left many Americans unconvinced. The network’s move to briefly pull the show followed explosive backlash over Kimmel’s on-air suggestion that the man accused of killing Charlie Kirk was somehow tied to the MAGA movement — a claim that conservatives rightly called reckless and untrue.
Patriots watching saw the return as another example of late-night elites trying to play victim while refusing to own real harm caused by their sloppy rhetoric. Instead of a clear apology to the Kirk family, Kimmel offered what critics labeled a “non-apology” and a performance meant to deflect blame and win back sympathy from liberal loyalists.
Local station owners reacted like any sensible business would: Nexstar and Sinclair preempted Kimmel’s show rather than force their audiences to ingest partisan grandstanding, and they demanded real accountability. That pushback showed the American people aren’t obliged to subsidize performative outrage from Hollywood, and it underscored how out of touch network bosses are when they think a teary monologue erases a pattern of politicized attacks.
On conservative airwaves, Carl Higbie didn’t mince words — calling Kimmel out for trying to troll and then playing the wounded martyr when the spotlight turned back on him. Higbie’s reaction was exactly the kind of no-nonsense response working Americans want: hold the media elite accountable instead of letting them lecture the rest of the country from a moral high horse.
This episode also exposed the double standard that plagues our culture: certain celebrities get podiums and pardons, even when past behavior and crude stunts — including well-documented offensive bits from Kimmel’s own history — should disqualify them from moral lecturing. If networks want credibility, they should earn it by respecting victims and not rushing to shield high-profile comedians who traffic in political misinformation.
At the end of the day, Americans aren’t fooled by crocodile tears or media theatrics. We want truth, responsibility, and institutions that place victims above celebrity clout. If ABC and its hosts expect respect from the public, they’ll start by apologizing sincerely, making amends, and finally learning that there are consequences when you weaponize misinformation against your fellow citizens.
