ABC pulls Jimmy Kimmel Live after comments on Charlie Kirk

[Landon Caeli]

First they support the LIE to link the Kirk assasin to MAGA, now they LIE, and blame the Trump administration for taking Kimmel off the air.

...I really wish the devil would just go back to hell, and stop brainwashing our citizens with this mental illness.

 

[caffeinated hermit]

I would have settled for an apology and some kind of standard moving forward that his show needs to be less overtly political. That was an insanely irresponsible and insensitive thing to say within days of Mr. Kirk being killed. Turned out to be wrong, too. Not sure it merited a cancelation, though. I felt weird about Alex Jones being sued over his awful Sandy Hook comments, and I feel a little weird about this, too.

But... if you were happy over Alex Jones being fined over a billion dollars for his terrible comments, you shouldn't be too upset over this, I guess. And if you felt like the judgments against Jones were too harsh and that his rights to speak freely were being infringed upon, you should question this, move, too.

"The Late, Late Show With Craig Ferguson" was a great example of what late-night TV could be. Absurdist, entertaining, weird, and not very political at all. I wish we could bring that back. Kimmel can be funny. A lot of those guys have genuine talent, but the late night stuff is just excessively political, biased, and barbed. It's not even funny, frankly.

 

[RocksInMyHead]

I would have settled for an apology and some kind of standard moving forward that his show needs to be less overtly political. That was an insanely irresponsible and insensitive thing to say within days of Mr. Kirk being killed.

What exactly was "insanely irresponsible" about what Kimmel said? He was (partially) wrong about one particular fact, but if being wrong about current events is sanction-worthy, there are a lot more people that need a talking-to besides Kimmel.

But... if you were happy over Alex Jones being fined over a billion dollars for his terrible comments, you shouldn't be too upset over this, I guess. And if you felt like the judgments against Jones were too harsh and that his rights to speak freely were being infringed upon, you should question this, move, too.

Alex Jones was successfully sued for libel by the families of the victims of Sandy Hook. He wasn't fined - those were damages awarded by the court based on the harm caused by his demonstrably false statements. There's not any real comparison between the scenarios. If someone wants to sue Kimmel for libel, they're free to - but they'll need to prove it in court (just like the people who sued Jones did). The only FCC fine that Jones ever received was $15,000 for operating an unlicensed radio broadcast station.

"The Late, Late Show With Craig Ferguson" was a great example of what late-night TV could be. Absurdist, entertaining, weird, and not very political at all. I wish we could bring that back. Kimmel can be funny. A lot of those guys have genuine talent, but the late night stuff is just excessively political, biased, and barbed. It's not even funny, frankly.

Late-night TV has always dabbled in politics, to varying extents. If you don't like it, no one is forcing you to watch it.

 

[Hans Blaster]

Lies by the left! Stop lying and being evil.

A bit of an overreaction, no?

The decision to cancel Kimmel was made by ABC alone.

1. "Jimmy Kimmel Live!" was not cancelled. It was suspended.
2. ABC made the "decision alone" in the same way that a bank teller gives the man with the gun some cash "on their own". The FCC Chair threatened ABC affiliates with the destruction of their business and they started to comply by preempting the broadcast of the show.

 

[caffeinated hermit]

What exactly was "insanely irresponsible" about what Kimmel said? He was (partially) wrong about one particular fact...

One of the most important facts: motive, and whose ideas or ideals inspired the shooter. That's critical.

If being wrong about current events is sanction-worthy, there are a lot more people that need a talking-to besides Kimmel.

Agreed. When you blurt out false claims about an event which just occurred, is still being investigated, and left a man dead, there should be some kind of consequences. Maybe not cancelation, though.

Alex Jones was successfully sued for libel by the families of the victims of Sandy Hook. He wasn't fined.

Understood, and I stand corrected on that one. Still, it was a very, very steep judgement against him. A billion dollars? Really? That seemed more punitive than just. Just as completely canceling Kimmel's show over a stupid, false, irresponsible statement seems more punitive than reasonable or just.

Late-night TV has always dabbled in politics, to varying extents. If you don't like it, no one is forcing you to watch it.

Yep. This is why I tuned out a while back. If I want to be entertained / not bored, I'll listen to some music, head over to the gas station for a donut, or sit in the back yard. The back yard's got bunnies.

 

[Landon Caeli]

The FCC Chair threatened ABC affiliates with the destruction of their business and they started to comply by preempting the broadcast of the show.

What words *ecactly* were used to threaten ABC?

 

[RocksInMyHead]

One of the most important facts: motive, and whose ideas or ideals inspired the shooter. That's critical.

While he probably should have clarified what he meant by "MAGA is bending over backwards to show that he was not one of theirs" - because that would imply that Robinson was right-wing - I'm not sure that (at the time Kimmel said that) it was 100% clear that he wasn't, and the MAGA crowd was bending over backwards to try to paint him as a leftist (still is, in fact). My point is that Kimmel was not the only person - on either side of the political spectrum - to be wrong about the shooter's motive. Calling it "insanely" irresponsible is needless hyperbole. Irresponsible? Sure. Insane? Please.

Understood, and I stand corrected on that one. Still, it was a very, very steep judgement against him. A billion dollars? Really? That seemed more punitive than just. Just as completely canceling Kimmel's show over a stupid, false, irresponsible statement seems more punitive than reasonable or just.

Considering that his repeated egregiously false claims over the course of several years led to extreme amounts of harassment towards dozens of people (not to mention the mental anguish of being told repeatedly that your murdered child wasn't real), no I don't think it was an unjust judgement. And the US legal system does allow for explicitly punitive damages in lawsuits. I don't know what the breakdown of the money was for Jones, but some was probably punitive.

 

[Landon Caeli]

Anyone...

What words were used *exactly* to threaten ABC. OR admit it is yet another left wing lie. Admit that you get your political information from liars.

...I mean, if you're repeating statements with no credible support, it should be easy to understand that your sources are lying. And are evil.

 

[GoldenBoy89]

Anyone...

What words were used *exactly* to threaten ABC. OR admit it is yet another left wing lie.

Trump himself threatened to pull broadcast licenses over this.

Admit that you get your political information from liars.

Can't argue with that.

"I have read some place that the networks were 97% against me, again, 97% negative, and yet I won and easily [in last year's election]," the president said.​

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"They give me only bad publicity [and] press. I mean, they're getting a licence. I would think maybe their licence should be taken away."​

​

The FCC's chair, Brendan Carr accused Kimmel of "the sickest conduct possible" and said firms like the Disney-owned ABC could "find ways to change conduct and take action... or there's going to be additional work for the FCC".​

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FCC chair Carr told Fox on Thursday: "We're going to continue to hold these broadcasters accountable to the public interest - and if broadcasters don't like that simple solution, they can turn their licence in to the FCC."​

​

Trump says TV networks 'against' him should 'maybe' lose licence after Kimmel suspension

Concerns grow that the Trump administration is curtailing criticism after ABC host Jimmy Kimmel's show was cancelled.

www.bbc.com

 

[ralliann]

Another one bites the dust. It is only getting started and it will not stop until the woke leftist nonsense is pushed into obscurity, remembered only as a dark time in US history.

His ratings bit the dust...

 

[ralliann]

Anyone...

What words were used *exactly* to threaten ABC. OR admit it is yet another left wing lie. Admit that you get your political information from liars.

...I mean, if you're repeating statements with no credible support, it should be easy to understand that your sources are lying. And are evil.

It is a big lift here, more than likely to big for them. But it should not stop us from praying for this.

 

[Oompa Loompa]

What law, specifically?

Sexual assault via a quid pro quo.

 

[Hans Blaster]

What words *ecactly* were used to threaten ABC?

Have you not seen Carr on Comrade Benny's show implying the threat?

 

[essentialsaltes]

Anyone...

What words were used *exactly* to threaten ABC.

We can do things the easy way [you pull him off the air] or the hard way [we pull you off the air].

 

[rjs330]

Being trans does not automatically signal "left wing."

For example: Blaire White. And, interestingly, Blaire also owns a formidable arsenal--Blaire has the weapons to do it.

Except we know enough about the trans shooters to know they were. And we know enough about Kirk's shooter to know he was as well. The left has been more violent in the last 10 years. Blair White hasn't been violent. As far as I know we havent had any right leaning g transgender people killing school kids.

 

[rjs330]

Isn't that your justification for denouncing Obama's citizenship?

I didn't denounce his citizenship. I understood why people did at first, but after looking into it I was perfectly satisfied that he was and people just needed to let go. There were many other things to criticize him for.

 

[RDKirk]

And we know enough about Kirk's shooter to know he was as well.

I don't think we "know" that, either that he was trans or that he was a leftist.

 

[Landon Caeli]

We can do things the easy way [you pull him off the air] or the hard way [we pull you off the air].

What baloney

 

[Landon Caeli]

Have you not seen Carr on Comrade Benny's show implying the threat?

No.

 

[Danthemailman]

I’m not censorship. It’s consequences to poor decisions.

Amen! Television networks do have ratings and stocks to worry about. As a mailman, I have freedom of speech but if I use discriminatory language towards my customers or sexually harass the ladies, I will end up being suspended and if I keep it up I will get fired! I could cry about it and try to sue the Post Office for violating my 1st amendment rights (good luck with that!). Although we have 1st amendment rights in America, words do have consequences.