Jimmy Kimmel 2.0

With all eyes on him—except those in blacked out markets controlled by Nexstar and Sinclair Media (but they could and probably did watch on YouTube)—Jimmy Kimmel returned to host his first episode of Jimmy Kimmel Live! since his show was abruptly pulled off the air last week. 

Call it Kimmel 2.0. Kimmel delivered a supersized monologue, at times visibly emotional, emphasizing that he is not important, nor is his show in the grand scheme of things, but it does matter that shows like his can exist in a free democracy.

 

As a cord-cutter, I watched Kimmel’s monologue on YouTube, and I have rarely seen a view count rack up as fast as that monologue video did last night, jumping by thousands every few seconds. Kimmel obviously understood the importance of the moment, that however much he might want to just make dumb jokes and move on, he had to make it count. And he did, threading the needle between expressing gratitude to be back on the air and not apologizing for what he said in the first place.

The best joke of the monologue is easily the “instructions to reactivate your Disney+ account” bit, which hilariously comes just as Disney is rolling out their latest round of rate hikes. Timing! What a concept! 

But this monologue won’t be remembered for the jokes. It will be remembered for Kimmel’s sincerity and defense of free speech, which included using FCC chairman Brendan Carr’s and Donald Trump’s own words against them, clearly showing how they will flip-flop on free speech when it suits them. Kimmel also mentioned several times that the show is still pre-empted in many markets. He never called out Sinclair Media or Nexstar by name, but I do find it interesting that now that Disney has backed him, there is an effort to shift the narrative onto the affiliates.

Frankly, that’s where it belongs. Disney absolutely does not get a pass, I’m not sure there is anything Bob Iger can do at this point to save his legacy—in the last two years he’s basically torched 20 years of being everyone’s favorite CEO—but Nexstar and Sinclair should also be held to account. Because they’re the ones who went along with Carr’s pressure last week. Had Sinclair and Nexstar, both of which have leadership that leans conservative, not gone along with Carr’s threat, Disney never would have pulled Kimmel off the air. They did that because their biggest affiliates said they wouldn’t carry the show. An act of cowardice on the part of Disney’s brass, and they, especially Iger, will wear that forever, but that decision didn’t come out of nowhere.

So now it’s time to turn up the heat on Sinclair and Nexstar. Both groups are still pre-empting Kimmel in their markets. They might not be able to do it forever, contractually, they’ll eventually have to put him back on their networks, but it’s important to remember Disney isn’t the only dragon here. I posted this before, but here it is again, you can check if your area has stations owned by Sinclair (here) or Nexstar (here) and make the appropriate calls to let them know you support free speech.

As for Jimmy Kimmel, it will be interesting to see if Disney renews his contract next year, or if they let the show end. As Kimmel said in his monologue, he’s been on the air for 23 years, that’s a good run for ANY job. (It’s 22 years, actually, but it will be 23 in January. Jimmy can have the rounding error.) Whatever happens with his show, though, Kimmel will be remembered in the history books, alongside Stephen Colbert. 

I know it sounds silly, but two things are true: one day there will be a generation of grandparents named Brayden, and Jimmy Kimmel and Stephen Colbert are now free speech heroes alongside Lenny Bruce, George Carlin, and Howard Stern—all people Kimmel name-checked in his monologue. I have no joke about this, it’s just a reminder that attacks on a free society start with the silliest targets. It’s by design, so it doesn’t feel like it’s that big of a deal when it happens. It didn’t work this time, though, as everyone said clearly that no, it is actually a big f-cking deal. I don’t know what will happen next, and maybe things will get worse before they get better, but for the first time in a long time, I think we just might make it to the other side. But we have to keep standing up for each other and if we do, I think we’ll be okay.