Ted Cruz, Rand Paul On the Right Side Of Kimmel Return, Incredibly Enough

Forever doesn’t last as long as it once did. In this case, a forever dismissal of a popular late-night host lasted less than a week. But what an eternity that week has been. And how deeply it has shattered our faith in the First Amendment, an out of control *president* who can’t stop coloring outside the lines, and fear for democracy itself. Last Wednesday Jimmy Kimmel made a basically tepid remark which FCC Chair Brandon Carr mischaracterized as “the sickest conduct possible.” Here’s what Kimmel said, you decide if this is the “sickest conduct possible” — say, on a par with suggesting a 10-year-old child deliver her rapists baby, which is my litmus test for sick conduct.

“We hit some new lows over the weekend with the MAGA gang desperately trying to characterize this kid who murdered Charlie Kirk as anything other than one of them and doing everything they can to score political points from it,” he [Kimmel] said.

This is by no means over. Nexstar and Sinclair want to continue to boycott Kimmel. Cue the Star Wars music because we’re in the middle of Media Wars now.

In a monologue last week, Kimmel expressed condolences to Kirk’s family but criticized Republicans for their reaction to his killing. […]

The following day, authorities in Utah said that the man accused of shooting Kirk had “started to lean more left” in recent months and targeted Kirk for his “political expression.”

The FCC, Nexstar and the White House did not immediately respond to requests for comment. Sinclair declined to comment. It was not clear as of early Monday evening whether Kimmel’s return would air on stations owned Nexstar and Sinclair.

Andrew Kolvet, a spokesperson for Kirk’s activist organization, Turning Point USA, said in a post on X: “Disney and ABC caving and allowing [Kimmel] back on the air is not surprising, but it’s their mistake to make. Nextstar and Sinclair do not have to make the same choice.”

Anna M. Gomez, the lone Democratic FCC commissioner, hailed Kimmel’s return to the airwaves, saying in part: “I am glad to see Disney find its courage in the face of clear government intimidation. More importantly, I want to thank those Americans from across the ideological spectrum who spoke loudly and courageously against this blatant attempt to silence free speech.” […]

Disney’s decision to pull Kimmel’s show had stoked intense uproar. The media giant was condemned by some unions, liberal lawmakers and prominent Hollywood figures, including former late-night host David Letterman, who said: “You can’t go around firing somebody because you’re fearful or trying to suck up to an authoritarian, criminal administration in the Oval Office.”

In an open letter released Monday by the American Civil Liberties Union, more than 400 celebrities wrote that Disney’s move represents a “dark moment for freedom of speech in our nation.”

“We the people must never accept government threats to our freedom of speech,” the letter says. “Efforts by leaders to pressure artists, journalists, and companies with retaliation for their speech strike at the heart of what it means to live in a free country.”

The stars who signed the letter include Jennifer Aniston, Jason Bateman, Billy Crystal, Robert De Niro, Jane Fonda, Selena Gomez, Tom Hanks, Julia Louis-Dreyfus, Lin-Manuel Miranda, Joaquin Phoenix, Ben Stiller, Meryl Streep and Kerry Washington.

Meanwhile, “Lost” co-creator Damon Lindelof said he would not work with the company unless Kimmel’s suspension was lifted. (“Lost” aired on ABC for six seasons.) Tatiana Maslany, star of the Disney+ series “She-Hulk: Attorney at Law,” called on her social media followers to “cancel your @disneyplus @hulu @espn subscriptions!” (Disney owns Hulu and ESPN.)

Yet some conservatives, galled by what they saw as Kimmel’s mischaracterization of the suspect in Kirk’s killing, cheered ABC’s decision. “We’re not done yet,” Carr told CNBC the morning after the announcement was made.

That same day, President Donald Trump said that the host was fired because of “bad ratings” after he said a “horrible thing about a great gentleman named Charlie Kirk.” Vice President JD Vance jokingly described Secretary of State Marco Rubio as “the new host of ABC’s late-night show!”

But not all Republican officials commended the FCC’s rhetoric and ABC’s move. Sen. Ted Cruz, R-Texas, and Sen. Rand Paul, R-Ky., raised concerns, with the latter telling NBC’s “Meet the Press” that Carr’s public comments were “inappropriate.”

“Brendan Carr’s got no business weighing in on this, but people have to also realize that despicable comments, you have the right to say them, but you don’t have the right to employment,” Paul said.

Rand Paul and Ted Cruz coming down on the rational side of an argument? Oh, my ears and whiskers. That only shows you the depth of this schism. Expect a lot of analysis of this in the coming days and weeks ahead. At first blush, Brendan Carr overreacted. He talks about Kimmel’s “timing” when his own timing was catastrophic, lashing out at Kimmel after CBS served up Stephen Colbert’s head on a platter.

And talk of who would replace Kimmel got positively bonkers. Would you believe Greg Gutfield and Tucker Carlson were proferred as names? Yes, indeed. That tidbit of information comes to us from AG Online Betting, a company that frequently sends out press releases with interesting odds that bookies are taking.

There is a lot more to what has happened here than is what is being currently reported. Keep your ear to the ground. More will be revealed. For now what we do know is that the First Amendment is being raged over, which is exactly what you would expect with Trump back in office. Trump “hates his opponents” as he said Sunday at Charlie Kirk’s funeral. And he wants them all silenced. Unfortunately, that’s not how our Constitution spells it out.

It’s wonderful that Kimmel returns to the airwaves tomorrow, but this matter is not over. It’s just getting rolling.

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