Thursday, October 9, 2025

Jimmy Kimmel Plays The Victim Card


Over two weeks after his return—Jimmy Kimmel escalated his defense during an interview on Bloomberg's Screentime (aired October 9). He accused critics of deliberately twisting his words: "I believed my comments about the reaction to the assassination of political activist Charlie Kirk were 'intentionally and maliciously mischaracterized' by critics before his show was suspended."

He reiterated that his monologue critiqued "the MAGA gang's" politicization, not the shooter or Kirk's death, but admitted the phrasing was "blurry" and open to misreading.


Kimmel called the backlash a "coordinated" effort by right-wing media to "play into a narrative" and silence dissent, linking it to broader Trump-era pressures on comedy (e.g., CBS axing Stephen Colbert in July 2025).

He dismissed calls for his firing as "narcissistic" overreach, joking: "If bad phrasing gets you suspended, half of Congress would be off-air."



This came amid reports of plummeting ratings: A brief post-return surge (6 million viewers) dropped 71% to 1.6 million by early October, with an 85% plunge in the key 25-54 demo. Insiders attribute it to controversy fatigue, late-night decline, and boycotts. Rival Gutfeld! on Fox is dominating, up 50% YTD.

Figures like Greg Gutfeld mocked Kimmel as a "victim" on Fox, saying he "should apologize" instead of justifying "lies." Trump allies see the suspension as a win against "fake news."

Liberals/Hollywood: Outrage over "real-time censorship," with fears it's part of a pattern targeting critics (e.g., academia, business). Comedians like Colbert's successors have toned down Trump jabs.

Media Landscape: The saga highlights FCC's growing role in content policing under Trump 2.0, raising First Amendment alarms. Late-night TV is hemorrhaging viewers overall—down 50% industry-wide—fueling speculation Kimmel (contract up in May 2026) might exit ABC.
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