ABC’s decision to pull Jimmy Kimmel’s late?night show off the air this week is a watershed moment that conservative Americans have been warning about for years: the institutional media can no longer be trusted to govern itself or to treat basic decency as anything other than a partisan cudgel. The suspension came after Kimmel’s monologue about the shooting of conservative activist Charlie Kirk sparked outrage from large affiliate groups and drew public criticism from the FCC chair, prompting Nexstar and others to stop airing his program.
Let’s be clear: Kimmel didn’t just make a joke — he politicized a tragedy and attempted to caricature a grieving movement in real time, and millions watched as the mainstream world yawned and looked the other way for years while entertainers normalized cheap, vicious attacks on half the country. Conservatives rightly see this moment as the consequence of that culture; when elites treat violence, tragedy, and political violence as props for partisan performance, accountability eventually follows.
Local broadcasters like Nexstar and Sinclair did something corporate America rarely does anymore: they answered to the communities they serve rather than to the coastal media elite. Those station groups publicly said they would not carry Kimmel’s show unless ABC and the host addressed the offensive remarks, and their decisive action forced the network’s hand. Americans who feel ignored by national outlets see this as a healthy rebalancing — media that serve the public should answer the public.
Of course Disney’s ABC moved quickly to suspend the program, and many in legacy media are shrieking about censorship now that consequences hit home. But this is less about “cancel culture” and more about media credibility collapsing under the weight of predictable hypocrisy: when networks shield their own because of shared politics, they lose the trust of the rest of the nation. The real scandal is not that a network enforced standards, it’s that those standards were so unevenly applied for so long.
The predictable chorus from Hollywood and late?night elites — feigned outrage about free speech and theatrical lamentations — reveals the deep self?regard of those who believe they are above accountability. Comedians and celebrities rushed to defend Kimmel as if entertainment absolved actions that, when aimed at conservatives, are suddenly treated as sacrosanct. That performative grief exposes the double standard: free speech meant for them, consequences for everyone else.
Patriots should welcome a media ecosystem where local stations and viewers can push back against arrogant, partisan scolding masquerading as humor. Private employers and broadcasters have every right to set standards for their airwaves and their brands, and communities have every right to expect decency and accuracy from the people who shape public opinion. If that means the late?night claque learns restraint, so much the better for a healthier public square.
This moment should remind Americans that the long decline of institutional media credibility was not inevitable — it was cultivated by contemptuous elites who assumed their audience would always be captive. Networks, talent contracts, and station lineups are not untouchable, and Kimmel’s pending contract situation is now a matter of public interest as viewers demand accountability rather than lectures. Workaday Americans deserve media that respect their values, and if today’s shakeup prompts even a modest return to fairness and restraint, it will have been worth it.
