Jimmy Kimmel, host of Jimmy Kimmel Live! on ABC, was suspended indefinitely in the wake of falsely characterizing Charlie Kirk’s killer as a member of “The MAGA Gang.” Kimmel made the comments around two minutes into his monologue on Monday’s show as part of a larger condemnation of President Trump and his response to Kirk’s death.
To be honest, after listening to what he said, the line was neither funny nor factual, but I probably wouldn’t have given it a second thought except for the firestorm that followed.
You see, Kimmel had the poor judgment to make that statement at a time when both the Trump administration and conservatives across the country were already on edge over the manner in which many—though far from most—of those on the left responded to the shooting. As such, when Kimmel declared that Tyler Robinson—the suspect charged with Kirk’s murder—was a member of the MAGA movement, he became an easy target for the right’s anger.
The latest reports are that Kimmel planned to address the controversy on Wednesday’s show but was not going to apologize. Instead, he was intent on “defending what he said [as] being grossly mischaracterized by a certain group of people.” Given that 66 of ABC’s roughly 200 affiliate stations were not planning to air the episode, Disney decided to take the decision out of their hands.
What does the First Amendment protect?
Many of those who condemned Kimmel’s suspension have characterized it as an assault on his freedom of speech. However, this assessment demonstrates an important misunderstanding of what the Constitution actually protects.
The First Amendment states that “Congress shall make no law respecting an establishment of religion, or prohibiting the free exercise thereof; or abridging the freedom of speech, or of the press.” The Supreme Court later expanded that protection to include all levels of government, from the federal to the state and local as well.
But while every aspect of the First Amendment is important, the key part for our present discussion is that it specifies that the government cannot punish the exercise of free speech. It says nothing, however, about employers choosing to do so.
We’ll discuss this aspect of the controversy and the ways it’s of particular relevance to Christians in a bit, but understanding that ABC and its affiliates had every right to take Kimmel off the air for what he said is essential context to this story. And if they were the only ones to influence that decision, the story would end there. However, that was not the case.
Why was Kimmel canceled?
On Wednesday, FCC Chairman Brendan Carr said of Kimmel’s comments, “Frankly, when you see stuff like this—I mean, we can do this the easy way or the hard way . . . I think that it’s really sort of past time that a lot of these licensed broadcasters themselves push back on Comcast and Disney and say, ‘Listen, we are going to pre-empt, we are not going to run Kimmel anymore until you straighten this out.’”
A few hours later, two of ABC’s largest affiliates did just that.
Nexstar, which owns roughly 10 percent of ABC’s stations across the country, called Kimmel’s statements “offensive and insensitive at a critical time in our national political discourse.” They went on to add that they “do not believe they reflect the spectrum of opinions, views, or values of the local communities in which we are located.”
Sinclair, the largest ABC affiliate group in the country, echoed those thoughts and also stated that it would no longer air Kimmel’s show. Instead, they’ve decided to televise reruns with the exception of this weekend, when they will use that timeslot to run a special program in remembrance of Charlie Kirk.
While it’s possible that both affiliates came to that decision on their own, the timing in relation to Carr’s comments is difficult to overlook. Moreover, Nexstar is currently in the process of merging with Tegna—another broadcast company—in a move that is expected to generate roughly $300 million per year in cost savings, but needs Carr’s approval at the FCC for the deal to go through.
As the Free Press described, “This is what’s known as jawboning—when state actors use threats to inappropriately compel private action.” They went on to warn, “For the MAGA crowd who might like what they’re seeing from Carr: Remember that Democrats will wield this power again. And when they do, they will play by the new rules that Carr and the Trump administration just established.”
The degree to which these rules are truly new in the wake of the controversies in 2020 and 2021 is debatable. But, regardless of where you stand politically, the government openly wielding this kind of influence should concern all of us.
What’s at stake?
As Christians, we should assume that there will be times when our beliefs come into conflict with the popular norms of the culture around us. After all, Jesus promised that it would be that way, and we have nearly two thousand years’ worth of examples that prove he was right (John 15:18–25).
Now, that doesn’t mean that we will always face opposition when we stand up for biblical truth, but we shouldn’t be surprised when some would prefer that we fall in line rather than stand apart on the foundation of God’s word. When that happens, I would much rather live in a place where the government was content to leave me alone, even if it means they have to do the same for people who stand on beliefs with which I strongly disagree.
Even then, though, it’s important to remember that the First Amendment only shields us from government intervention. Your job, your coworkers, or the myriad strangers and keyboard warriors online will always be free to disagree and to seek opportunities to punish you for those beliefs. And when that happens, we’ll have to choose whether we want to keep God’s blessings or pursue what the world has to offer.
Scripture is clear about what that choice should be, but the Lord has left it up to us to decide. However, it’s crucial that we go into that decision with a clear view of what’s at stake.
Choose what’s helpful
As Christians, we are no more entitled to God’s blessings than Jimmy Kimmel is to a late-night talk show. So, when our words and actions do not reflect well on our witness, we shouldn’t be surprised when those sins come with real consequences. While they won’t get us fired in the sense of losing our salvation, they can relegate us to the sidelines of God’s kingdom work.
So, which will you choose the next time you’re faced with the decision of pursuing God’s blessings or the world’s? It’s easy to give the right answer now, but if you haven’t fully wrestled with what that decision may cost you, then it will be far more difficult to make the right choice when it counts.
With that reality in mind, let’s finish for today by taking some time to ask the Holy Spirit to help us understand the degree to which we are willing to choose Christ when that decision proves costly. Are there any areas of your life where you’ve sacrificed God’s blessings in favor of the world’s? And when you think, type, or post about people who think differently than you do, how well do your words align with your faith?
Ultimately, you have every right to post what you want on social media. But, as the apostle Paul warned, “‘All things are lawful,’ but not all things are helpful. ‘All things are lawful,’ but not all things build up” (1 Corinthians 10:23).
Let’s choose what’s helpful to God’s kingdom today.
Quote of the day:
“Fighting who we think is wrong is often confused with doing what’s right. Those two things are not always the same.”—Justin Giboney
Our latest website resources:
Denison Forum
DAILY DEVOTIONS, NEWS AND INFORMATION 