This piece belongs to The D.C. Brief, TIME’s political newsletter. Subscribe to receive similar articles directly in your inbox.
In his Inaugural address, Trump pledged to “immediately halt all government censorship and restore free speech to America.” Fast forward eight months, and late-night comedians are now ensnared in what appears to be a government-backed suppression of dissenting views. Initially, CBS declared the cancellation of Stephen Colbert’s nightly satire from New York, thereby ending the entire Late Show series. Subsequently, ABC has “indefinitely” suspended host Jimmy Kimmel over remarks concerning the killing of conservative activist Charlie Kirk.
“The weekend saw new depths, with the MAGA faction frantically attempting to portray the individual who murdered Charlie Kirk as separate from their own, while striving to gain political leverage from the incident,” the host stated, perhaps prematurely attributing motives in a situation lacking full details. He then mocked video showing Trump’s response to reporters regarding the dreadful murder, wherein Trump swiftly shifted to boasting about a White House building initiative.
The Trump Administration’s response was swift and strong. Federal Communications Commission official Brendan Carr informed a conservative podcaster that his commission might take action against ABC due to Kimmel’s remarks. Carr later appeared on Fox News, threatening to revoke broadcast licenses from station owners deemed insufficiently supportive of MAGA. By Wednesday, Kimmel’s superiors at ABC—a Disney-owned entity—chose to remove him without a specified date for his return.
During a dinner at Windsor Castle with the British Royal Family, President Donald Trump insisted that other networks likewise fire their late-night hosts who mock him. “That leaves Jimmy [Fallon] and Seth [Meyers], both complete failures, on Fake News NBC. Their viewership numbers are equally terrible. Do it NBC!!!” Trump wrote on his social media service, Truth Social.
Trump has been extensively pushing the boundaries of his authority throughout this second term. He secured millions of dollars in settlements from ABC and CBS for lawsuits that First Amendment attorneys considered baseless. CBS consented to modify its interview formats following Trump’s claim that editors were shielding 2024 Democratic nominee Kamala Harris. Additionally, he has initiated legal action against newspapers for publishing unflattering reports about his performance.
Should this situation seem somewhat familiar, that is because it is. Indeed, Kimmel’s programming slot on ABC became available over two decades prior, shortly after a different host was dismissed for deviating from the prevailing narrative. Bill Maher’s Politically Incorrect faced boycotts from advertisers and direct pressure from the White House after the Sept. 11 terrorist attacks, specifically for critiquing U.S. foreign policy.
“We have acted as cowards, launching cruise missiles from a distance of 2,000 miles,” Maher stated. “Such an act is cowardly. Remaining in the aircraft as it strikes the building, regardless of one’s opinion, is not cowardly.”
Maher’s comment ignited significant public outrage, leading White House Press Secretary Ari Fleischer to declare that Americans “should be careful about what they say.” However, the Bush Administration never publicly jeopardized ABC’s operations.
For some within the MAGA community, Kimmel’s suppression represents another triumph against what they perceive as an intolerant Left. Trump’s inner circle has consistently exploited narratives of victimization for political advantage, decrying “Cancel Culture” while simultaneously using it to penalize those who don’t align with their views. An online spreadsheet, fueled by collective outrage, is circulating across unsavory corners of the internet, listing individuals who have been less than fervent in condemning Kirk’s brutal murder. The platform previously known as X, along with its owner Elon Musk, has advocated for the dismissal of anyone considered insufficiently sorrowful regarding Kirk’s death. These demands for reprisal are not confined to extremist groups, and now entire television programs are being canceled.
This entire situation stems from Trump’s hypersensitivity and the willingness of his governmental apparatus to shield him. Addressing journalists aboard Air Force One late Thursday, Trump confirmed that retaliatory measures would persist against networks providing excessive negative coverage of him. He stated, “I believe their license should potentially be revoked. That decision will rest with Brendan Carr.”
The complete ramifications of Kirk’s murder are still being ascertained. He has emerged as a martyr figure for the conservative Right, an emblem for the MAGA movement, and a representation of opposition to “wokeness.” However, one aspect is unambiguous: the current political climate is highly susceptible to manipulation, and Trump is fully capitalizing on it. While Sarah Palin was willing to playfully mock herself on SNL during the 2008 campaign, Hillary Clinton followed suit in 2016, and Harris visited the set during last year’s final push towards Election Day, Trump’s current solution is singular: to seize control of the national narrative and silence dissent. Television networks—much like after 9/11—felt compelled to demonstrate national unity and suppress critical political commentary, let alone humor directed at the President. In this climate, laughter seems inappropriate.
Understand the significant developments in Washington. .
