Did MAGA save Jimmy Kimmel?
Just a few days after being unceremoniously suspended by ABC, supposed comedian Jimmy Kimmel returned as host of his late-night show. Recounting his experience of victimization akin to the thought criminals of George Orwell’s 1984, he offered one of his not-so-spontaneous tearful monologues, claiming that “it was never my intention to make light of the murder of a young man.”
While his oh-so-rehearsed voice-crack may have sparked applause among his adoring live audience of family members and homeless people seeking a few hours of air conditioning and free coffee, and while his statement completely ignored why he was suspended in the first place—not for making light of murder, but for claiming that Charlie Kirk’s murderer was a member of MAGA and that the entirety of MAGA was engaged in a cover-up attempt to hide this demonstrably false claim—we must understand that this represents a victory for a man who deserved to be fired and fired forever.
However, no matter how undeniably objectionable his original statements were, he deserved to be fired for the same reason that Stephen Colbert was fired: because he sucks.
Jimmy Kimmel is among the dwindling crowd of late night hosts who have somehow raked in millions of dollars while being talentless unamusing hacks who have used their platform to do nothing but sneer at half of the country, all while their industry declines in reach and relevance. When their audience pales in comparison to online stars and podcast hosts, the writing is on the wall: late night—in the style of Jimmy Kimmel, Stephen Colbert, Seth Meyers and other Democratic Party propaganda mouthpieces—is on its way out.
So then why is Stephen Colbert filling his evenings with reruns and practicing his “vaccine” dance in front of the bathroom mirror while Jimmy Kimmel is pretending to cry on television? Well, because the Trump administration made itself an unnecessary variable in the equation.
Stephen Colbert was fired because he’s just…awful, but he was fired in an environment where—at least publicly—the Trump administration were mere bystanders. Jimmy Kimmel, on the other hand, was temporarily suspended following the infamous threat of FCC commissioner Brendan Carr who, on Benny Johnson’s podcast, wanted ABC that “we can do this the easy way or the hard way.”
Suddenly, Jimmy Kimmel became more than a late-night host who is about as amusing as a bowl of stale rice. Thanks to Carr and the Trump administration, Kimmel became an avatar for those whose entire existence is built upon their hatred of anything to do with Trump. It no longer mattered that Kimmel was bad at his job. For the Left, Kimmel could be a bag of potatoes and they would defend him until the end of time because Trump made him an enemy. Therefore, in the zero-sum political game we find ourselves in, Kimmel became their hero.
The Trump administration may have enjoyed some short-term victories by using its political leverage to pressure ABC into canning Jimmy Kimmel, but they gave up a long-term victory in return. With Kimmel back on television screens for dozens of Americans, was it worth it? Absolutely not.
So what is the answer here? It’s simple: the Trump administration needs to stop inserting itself into every battle when all they need to do is wait. Yes, they won’t get the attention, but would they rather have attention while Jimmy Kimmel remains on the air, or celebrate in the background when Jimmy Kimmel is inevitably relegated to the dustbin of entertainment when his contract runs out?
Next time, instead of handing him a lifeline, just sit back when Jimmy Kimmel says something overtly offensive. Because, whether he likes it or not, he’s already circling the drain.