BREAKING: Kimmel Set to Return--A Deeper Look at What Happened, and What Comes Next
Well, Jimmy Kimmel is back, or almost back. The quickness with which it happened is a surprise, but maybe shouldn’t be if Garry Kasparov is right. Kasparov—the former world chess champion and democracy Substacker—says the US has “democracy antibodies” that Russia never had, and indeed, this seems to be a case of that. The pushback mattered. If this were Russia, it would have been Do Svidania, Gospodin Kimmel. But it’s America and it appears that all the pushback helped ABC grow a spine. There’s a lot to break down. Let’s take a deeper look.
But… before I do that, just pause for a moment and consider the “democracy antibodies” idea. It’s a powerful analogy and honestly it provides a somethign to be hopeful about —the idea that 250 years of democracy has imbued this country with some deeply embedded protection against authoritarianism that wasn’t present in all the countries we cite as examples. Let’s hope so. Now about Kimmel:
ABC Brings Kimmel Back (Sooner than Anyone Expected)
The announcement dropped today:
“Jimmy Kimmel Live! will return to the air Tuesday,” Disney said Monday. The network acknowledged that his earlier remarks about the Charlie Kirk assassination were “ill-timed and thus insensitive,” but said the decision to reinstate came after “thoughtful conversations with Jimmy.” Reuters
Let’s parse the words. Notice the language: “thoughtful conversations”—but no mention of an apology. ABC isn’t promising one, though Kimmel may still choose to give one. But the return is not framed around an apology.
Also note “ill-timed and thus insensitive” is not the same as “wrong” or “false.” It’s an attempt to contain the self-criticism (or criticism of Kimmel) to bad timing for the comments, not that they should never have been made.
Bottom line: ABC is showing at least a little “indirect spine” so far. It remains to be seen if this will continue, because it’s also clear they are trying to serve a lot of different masters. They’re calibrating, squirming, hedging. But at least they are looking slightly less craven than they did a day ago.
Brendan Carr in New York
Meanwhile, FCC Commissioner Brendan Carr was in New York this morning at the Concordia Annual Summit, defending his role in the affair at roughly the same time. Disney was making it’s announcement.
“Jimmy Kimmel is in the situation that he is in because of his ratings, not because of anything that’s happened at the federal government level.” Business Insider
And:
“Criticism of my comments are projection and distortion. I raised concerns about news distortion and the role of national programmers, not about silencing satire.” Barrett Media
Ahem…..so Kimmel is responsible for “news distortion” and is not a satirist? And Carr is sticking now trying to convince us he didn’t say what he said. Remember what he said was: “When you look at the conduct that has taken place by Jimmy Kimmel, it appears to be some of the sickest conduct possible.” That doesn’t sound like “news distortion.”
MAGA and Dems React
Charlie Kirk’s group, Turning Point USA, wasted no time:
“Disney and ABC are caving. We call on every ABC affiliate to stand strong and refuse to carry Jimmy Kimmel Live. This is not accountability. This is surrender.” New York Post
Megyn Kelly, Ann Coulter, Mollie Hemingway and others echoed the line: reinstatement proves bias, cowardice, surrender.
On the other side, Democrats and free-speech advocates cheered. Gov. Gavin Newsom said:
“This is a win for free speech everywhere. We can’t allow government threats to dictate who gets a platform.” Business Insider
For Dems, the reinstatement is vindication: democracy’s antibodies at work.
(Comment: And it’s not lost on me that TP’s statement is a long way from the ‘kumbaya’ of Erica Kirk’s eulogy. It does feel a bit like an “auto-pilot” response — but if she’s going to exert influence over TP’s messaging, it hasn’t started yet.)
Disney Caught in the Middle
Disney faced two bad options:
Keep Kimmel off the air: Risk FCC action, affiliate boycotts, and the wrath of Trumpworld if they brought him back too soon.
Keep him off too long: Risk market backlash, brand damage, subscription cancellations, and advertiser flight.
The financial pressure was real. Jimmy Kimmel Live! generates nearly $70 million in ad revenue year-to-date, so there were hemmorhages happening there, although not on a scale to hurt Disney that much. There were subscription cancellations and other consumer actions; and there were stock losses which shaved off millions of market cap in the days after the suspension.
Sok they have tried to split the difference by suspending him for six days, then reinstating him citing vaugely stated “thoughtful conversations” and “ill-timed” language without an apology.
Disney may feel like it’s calibrating to navigate a difficult situation. But to most observers, they look spineless twice over—first caving to Brendan Carr and FCC saber-rattling, then caving to free-speech advocates, Democrats, and market forces. The new icon for “spineless.”
No Mention of Sinclair and Nexstar
A key unanswered question: when Disney beams Kimmel out Tuesday night, will Sinclair and Nexstar—the two giant affiliate groups who preempted him last week—carry the show?
Sinclair was explicit in its demands:
“Jimmy Kimmel must issue a direct apology to Charlie Kirk’s family and make a meaningful personal donation to them and to Turning Point USA. Suspension alone is insufficient.” Sinclair Broadcast Group
During the suspension, Sinclair replaced Kimmel’s slot with a Charlie Kirk tribute special. Nothing in Disney’s reinstatement statement suggests that Sinclair’s demands have been met. Nor does their statement address what Sinclair and Nexstar will do.
That leaves open the possibility that large swathes of the country—especially in conservative-leaning markets where Sinclair and Nexstar dominate—will not see Kimmel’s return at all. If that happens, this is less a reinstatement than a fragmented, regional rollout.
So far there are no public signs that Sinclair or Nexstar will fall into line. If anything, their rhetoric suggests continued resistance unless Kimmel apologizes and donates. Which raises the stakes: Disney may declare victory by bringing him back, but the affiliates could still undercut that victory.
What Kimmel Will Say
All ABC has said is:
“Jimmy will address the controversy when he returns.” Reuters
My guess: he’ll strike a middle path. Acknowledge poor timing, maybe express regret, but stop short of the apology Sinclair is demanding. And he’ll use the moment to defend satire and free speech.
MS Comment
Kasparov’s line about democracy’s antibodies keeps echoing in my mind. ABC flinched, then flinched back. Not clean, not pretty, but the system flexed and resisted authoritarian pressure. That’s the good news. The bad news is that Disney—trying to please everyone—has managed to please no one, and looks weaker for it. Tomorrow night, we’ll see if Jimmy Kimmel can do what Disney couldn’t: stand firm.
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