Since Sept. 17, news of the suspension and subsequent rehiring of late-night host Jimmy Kimmel has dominated media coverage, sparking worldwide debate about free speech.
Following his Sept. 17 show, ABC pulled Kimmel off the air “indefinitely” for remarks he made about the Sept. 10 assassination of conservative media personality Charlie Kirk. ABC’s parent company, the Walt Disney Company, said it suspended the show “to avoid further inflaming a tense situation at an emotional moment for our country” before deciding to resume it a few days later.
Many — including prominent figures and some Republican lawmakers — condemned the suspension as an attack on the First Amendment by President Donald Trump and the Federal Communications Commission, or FCC. Hours before Disney announced the suspension, Chairman of the FCC Brendan Carr threatened to revoke ABC’s broadcast license on a right wing podcast hosted by Benny Johnson.
In his Sept. 17 monologue, Kimmel said that Trump’s supporters were “desperately trying to characterize this kid who murdered Charlie Kirk as anything other than one of them,” as well as trying to “score political points from it.”
Professors at Northeastern’s School of Journalism and Media Innovation say the case speaks to the future of the journalism industry and shows how important it is to protect First Amendment rights.
“There really isn’t any president or any elected official who’s a big fan of the press,” said Dan Kennedy, a professor of journalism. “But there’s never been anything like this. In Trump’s first term, it seemed like a lot of rhetoric without much follow through, but this term, it’s the real thing, and I’ve never really quite seen anything like it.”
On Sept. 22, Disney announced that Kimmel would be returning to air after vocal criticism from viewers. The next day, 6.2 million tuned in as Kimmel criticized the Trump administration and the FCC’s alleged attack on free speech.
Media conglomerates Nexstar and Sinclair, which collectively own 20% of ABC affiliates, announced they would still not air the program.
While his show isn’t considered a news organization or broadcast, Kimmel’s suspension scared many journalists, professors said.
“I think the most important thing is that we have to understand what’s under assault and what isn’t under assault,” Kennedy said. “The Jimmy Kimmel show isn’t news. For instance, [ABC and Walt Disney] have all kinds of issues before the government that are more important to them than what happens to their news divisions. So even though Jimmy Kimmel is protected by the First Amendment, he’s not protected from the whims of his employer acting under a very public threat from the head of the FCC.”
The First Amendment ensures the government doesn’t infringe on free speech, but that protection doesn’t extend to private companies, making Kimmel’s situation murky.
“The Nexstar, Sinclair part of this really can’t be underplayed at all, and I think they forced ABC’s hand the first time around,” said journalism professor Mike Beaudet.
While the FCC — a federal agency that regulates broadcast licenses and mergers — cannot directly fire or suspend Kimmel, Carr’s comments appear to have been a driving force behind the show’s brief suspension.
ABC falls under the media group Nexstar, which is planning a merger with its rival company, Tegna, according to The New York Times. The merger would require approval from the FCC.
“I think that anybody who’s working for any sort of corporate media organization that is dependent on their relationship with the government, that’s going to be problematic,” Kennedy said.
Beyond praising Kimmel’s suspension, Trump went further, suggesting on his social media platform Truth Social that other networks whose late-night hosts have criticized him should lose their licenses.
John Wihbey, a professor of media innovation, said the FCC and Trump’s threats exemplify indirect but significant coercion.
“We’re being reminded that even though we’re in a free society with a very protective First Amendment, which specifically mentions the press, nevertheless, there are lots of ways you can exert pressure on journalists and media institutions,” Wihbey said.
Despite free speech concerns, Kennedy emphasized the First Amendment seems to be holding up.
“As long as you’re not seeking favors from Trump, I think the protections of the First Amendment, at least at the moment, are holding pretty firm,” Kennedy said.
In recent years, the journalism industry has faced concerns over the spread of misinformation, and general trust in the American media has plummeted overall. Comments like Kimmel’s were called out by Trump and the FCC as insensitive and untrue.
“This is a really difficult time, I think, for journalists, especially with mainstream news organizations who’ve been used to a certain kind of respect and discretion from the federal government,” Wihbey said. “They are increasingly under siege for a whole variety of reasons.”
Many of these criticisms have stemmed from Trump himself, a vocal critic of several news outlets. In his first term, Trump filed several lawsuits against major news organizations, including the New York Times and Washington Post, accusing them of spreading false narratives about him and his presidency.
“Social science says that the thing that’s really driven down trust in news media over the decades has been what they call ‘elite criticism,’ which is to say leaders, politicians and others criticizing the news media tends to be the biggest causal factor in people not trusting it,” Wihbey said.
Wihbey also pointed to the inextricable connection between politics and news.
“I’m worried about these sort of broad cultural shifts,” Wihbey said. “They link up to democracy. They link up to this idea of having an informed citizenry that is competent to make decisions on not just elections, but participation. And I don’t think it’s just Trump. I think it’s actually a whole combination of factors. This ‘news crisis,’ I think, is deeply intertwined with these democracy problems.”
Kennedy said Kimmel’s suspension by ABC may lead to the rise and increased influence of local stations.
“I think that, increasingly, the best work is going to fall to independent news organizations,” said Kennedy, co-author of “What Works in Community News: Media Startups, News Deserts, and the Future of the Fourth Estate.”
“Weirdly enough, even though they’re in quite a bit of financial difficulty because their federal funding got cut off, NPR may be more independent than they’ve ever been because they no longer get any government funding,” Kennedy said. “So even though they’re going to have to cut back on some of their reporting, I think people will look to them, they’re free to tell the truth.”
In his first episode back, Kimmel’s opening monologue addressed public concern about the nature of his suspension.
“This show is not important,” Kimmel said to the audience. “What’s important is that we get to live in a country that lets us have a show like this.”
Beaudet stayed up late to catch the episode as it aired.
“I was happy to hear him take such a strong stand against censorship and being pulled off the air and really sort of double down on what he does,” Beaudet said. “He was sort of defending his right to free speech, so I thought it was really strong.
Even though Jimmy Kimmel Live! isn’t necessarily news, an attack on free speech is a concern for journalists everywhere, Beaudet said.
“ABC ultimately making the right decision to put him back on the air is encouraging, but I don’t think we’re necessarily out of the woods,” Beaudet added. “We’re only nine months, if that, into this administration, and they’ve made it clear that if they don’t like something that’s being said, even if it’s true, they’re going to go after you. So I think as journalists, we have to just double down on doing our jobs and doing them right. I think we just have to keep doing our jobs without fear.”
