By Rieley McDonnell, Head Copy Editor  

The suspension and subsequent reinstation of “Jimmy Kimmel Live!” is a page torn out of the authoritarian playbook. 

Jimmy Kimmel’s show was pulled, or canceled indefinitely last week, because of his comments surrounding the assassination of right-wing political pundit Charlie Kirk. Kimmel said the “Make American Great Again (MAGA) gang [is] desperately trying to characterize this kid who murdered Charlie Kirk as anything other than one of them.”

Nexstar Media Group told ABC, the network that produces Kimmel’s late-night show, they would stop syndicating Kimmel if the show was not pulled. Nexstar and Sinclair air 25% of Kimmel’s show to the country. If these groups pulled the show from the air ABC would have a hard time justifying the cost of the program because it would be broadcast to fewer homes and thus make less money.  

When faced with a choice of profit or protecting free speech, ABC, which is owned by Walt Disney Co., chose money. This pull comes off the heels of Stephan Colbert’s show, “The Late Show with Stephen Colbert,” being canceled by CBS. 

CBS claims Colbert was pulled for financial reasons. However, it is suspicious since Colbert has always been critical of President Donald Trump. It is more suspicious that, at the time Colbert was canceled, Paramount – which owns CBS – was in the middle of a merger with Skydance Media. This merger needed the approval of the Federal Communications Commission (FCC) which happens to be under the control of the Trump administration.

This is a blatant attack on free speech. People often watch late-night shows like Kimmel and Colbert for their political takes. It is the only reason I will watch their shows. There always needs to be opinions that differ from those in power or else our democracy may fall into authoritarianism. 

Big networks, like CBS and ABC, and their parent companies: Paramount and Disney, are doing anything they can to play into Trump’s hand. They are pulling award-winning shows to appease the leader. Networks fear what Trump and his administration will do, or not do, if they do not comply. 

It is no secret that Trump hates late-night television because of the views most late-night hosts espouse. Trump spoke to the press about his feelings on late-night hosts and it boiled down to if they are critical of him he thinks they should be canceled. 

“They got rid of Colbert, which was a good thing to do and look, that’s something that should be talked about for licensing too. When you have a network and you have evening shows and all they do is hit Trump,” Trump stated to reporters on Air Force One.  

Trump’s statement is a blatant attack on those who are critical of him. He celebrated the suspension over the comments Kimmel made about Kirk’s death and Trump’s reaction to his death. 

I can agree Kirk did not deserve to die. No one deserves to die for their political beliefs. He had a right to free speech. However, Kimmel also has a right to free speech. He should be able to make comments about how the MAGA movement is capitalizing on Kirk’s death and not face cancellation for them.  

He did not make fun of Kirk’s death, he made an insight of how his death was being used by the movement that Kirk helped to fuel. Kimmel commented on how MAGA was trying to make the alleged killer of Kirk, Tyler Robinson, anything but a Republican – when evidence showed he might be one.

Disney faced massive backlash for Kimmel’s cancellation, losing money which was one of the main reasons they pulled him in the first place. Last night Kimmel’s show was reinstated, however this still is within the reach of this authoritarian playbook.  

Nexstar and Sinclair will not air the show until more talks have occured between the parties. 25 percent of the nation will not be able to access Kimmel the way they usually do. 

ABC made the decision to try and play into the hand of Trump, but faced so much backlash from the public that they brought the show back. They played the odds, lost and now have to backpedal. 

While this is a win for speech, the waters have been made murky and there is now a precedent for potential censure. Sure, Kimmel was brought back, but Colbert is still canceled. Speech may have won for now but my optimism for the future is lacking. I am even less optimistic considering individual media broadcasting groups are deciding to obstruct the public from seeing the show.  

In my opinion, the indefinite suspension of Kimmel and the cancellation of Colbert are attacks on free speech, but also a ploy to suck up to the wannabe tyrant Trump. The parent companies that produce these shows, along with broadcasting groups, are trying to stay in the good graces of Trump and seem to be willing to do anything to achieve that end. 

Dissenting voices in the media are being pushed down, in favor of money and authoritarianism.