There is a lot to untangle regarding ABC's brief suspension of one-time comedian Jimmy Kimmel following his disgusting monologue on the Charlie Kirk assassination. You will recall that Kimmel implied that the accused killer was part of MAGA and that MAGA was attempting to hide that "fact". He also mocked President Trump's (inartful) reaction to the murder when asked by reporters, (Kimmel) comparing it to how a boy would mourn the death of his goldfish. The reaction from the public was largely one of outrage.
Personally, I am no fan of Kimmel, who, in my view, abandoned humor a long time ago in order to rant against Trump and conservatives in general (which is his right). I find the above comments tasteless and disgusting. Should he have been suspended?
On the surface, one could point out that it was ABC and Disney that suspended Kimmel, not Trump, his administration, or the FCC. Was there pressure exerted on ABC/Disney by the above? I personally do not agree with the way Trump handles criticism. In contrast, George W. Bush, in my view, handled the intense criticism directed at him with grace and dignity. I also question the remarks made by FCC Chair Brendan Carr about how ABC should handle Kimmel. Were Kimmel's employers genuinely upset about his remarks, were they reacting to public outrage, or succumbing to the words of Trump and Carr? Was it all an ethical decision to suspend Kimmel or a business decision? And for that matter, did ABC cave in to the outrage over the suspension from Kimmel's supporters in lifting the suspension?
Having said that, I watched a replay of Kimmel's monologue when he returned to the show. To say the least, I was not impressed. Yes, he said some things that were appropriate regarding the murder and how it should be treated by society. Yet, at the same time, he said that it was not his intention to mock the death of Kirk-which is what he did with his goldfish comment. That line was designed to get laughs, something Kimmel doesn't do much of these days. In addition, his implication about MAGA was factually incorrect, which is obvious. This was a targeted political assassination, from the left in this case, something Kimmel cannot seem to accept.
He also made the statement, "This is not about me....". He then proceeded to spend the remainder of the show making it precisely about him. He talked about the threat to his First Amendment rights and how he was victimized by Trump and Carr. Charlie Kirk was quickly forgotten as Kimmel prattled on about his own "victimization". In effect, he doubled down on the offensive words that got him suspended, just in a different manner.
All of that was lost on his audience, who cheered him as if they were cheering their favorite football team. Then again, I guess you don't buy tickets to someone's show if you aren't already a fan.
Personally, I don't care if Kimmel is suspended or not. I don't like him, so I don't choose to watch him-except when I need to understand what the controversy is all about, as in this case. As I said, he has the right to say offensive things. Nobody is talking about Kimmel being arrested for his offensive statements, but if ABC or Disney decide that Kimmel is hurting their brand and their bottom line, I think that is up to them.
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