Stephen Colbert, Jimmy Kimmel, and the State of Free Speech in America

Two weeks ago, the Federal Communications Commission (FCC) ordered the pulling of Jimmy Kimmel’s late-night show off the air following a comment he made about the assassination of right-wing podcaster Charlie Kirk. Kimmel, in his opening monologue, commented on the right’s attempt at “trying to characterize this kid who murdered Charlie Kirk as anything other than one of them.” 

Kimmel and his staff quickly found themselves out of work as ABC and its parent company, Disney, suspended the show “indefinitely.” A week of nationwide protests and Disney+ subscription cancellations later, Jimmy Kimmel is back on the air (on some channels). Kimmel opened his comeback show with a tearful apology about his comments about Charlie Kirk and a begrudging commendation of Texas Senator Ted Cruz, who voiced support for Kimmel’s show, albeit after a small rant about how much he hates Kimmel himself.. 

The short-lived Kimmel suspension came on the heels of the cancellation of late-night talk show host Stephen Colbert’s CBS show, “The Late Show with Stephen Colbert.” At the Emmys on Sept. 14, Colbert took home the Emmy for Outstanding Talk Series after being welcomed on stage with a full-house standing ovation. 

Fellow talk show hosts Jon Stewart, Jimmy Fallon, and more all took to the air to express their thoughts on the suspension of their fellow late-night show hosts. 

Stewart opened his show with a gilded background—evocative of the new gold-accented white house interior—and a visibly nervous countenance. In his monologue, he makes sure to refer to President Trump as a great leader who does no wrong. 

He says, “Our great administration has laid out very clear rules on free speech. Now, some naysayers may argue that this administration’s speech concerns are merely a cynical ploy, a thin gruel of a ruse, a smokescreen. Some people would say that. Not me, though, I think it’s great.” 

The cancellation of “The Late Show with Stephen Colbert” and the fleeting suspension of “Jimmy Kimmel Live!” is dangerous and a direct infringement on our First Amendment rights. If comedians can’t comment on the current administration for fear of being fired and taken off the air, then who can? Is an administration that silences any whisper of opposition a democratic one? Which is a worse infringement on our right to free speech? Comedians using their platform to call into question decisions made by the current administration, or a president who tackles disagreement by axing anyone who criticizes him?