Voices of Dissent Must Not Be Silenced with Freedom of Speech Under Siege

As a journalist, I’m deeply concerned about a chilling effect on freedom of speech in the aftermath of Charlie Kirk’s shocking and senseless killing.

It came to a head a few days ago when late-night talk show host Jimmy Kimmel was pulled from the airwaves indefinitely for what I consider to be innocuous comments about the Kirk’s killer.

This is what Kimmel said about Tyler Robinson, the young man from a conservative Morman family that supports the president who was charged with assassinating the founder of Turning Point USA:

“We hit some new lows over the weekend, with the MAGA gang desperately trying to characterize this kid who murdered Charlie Kirk as anything other than one of them, and doing everything they can to score political points from it.”

It was milquetoast criticism of the MAGA movement – not exactly hate speech that could incite violence, which would have legitimately placed ABC’s broadcast license at risk. Media reports noted that Kimmel “erroneously suggested that Kirk’s killer came from MAGA’s ranks.” I had to re-read his comment and watch the clip about a dozen times before coming to the same conclusion each time: he was saying just the opposite – that the assassin, who became pro-gay and trans-rights oriented, was not part of MAGA.

Am I missing something here? Because if I am, please challenge me in the comments. I write sentences for a living and don’t think there’s any need to interpret Kimmel’s words. There’s no word salad for those on the right to parse; just an assumption.
In the spirit of full disclosure, I met Jimmy soon after he became host of his show – an introduction made by one of his writers with whom I went to high school and our parents were good friends.

I was part of the studio audience a handful of times at the famed El Capitan Theatre on Hollywood Blvd. in Los Angeles where the show was recorded. The highlight was sneaking in my then-17-year-old now oldest step-daughter with a fake I.D. so that she could see her idol Lin-Manuel Miranda up close and personal. It was a thrill for her, and my high school chum generously gave us both a backstage tour after the show.

Unlike President Trump, I think Jimmy is funny and talented. The commander-in-chief has been arguing lately that liberal late-night talk show hosts are failing their respective networks, calling their ratings horrible, and that Americans are tired of their cynical jokes about his administration.

Soon after CBS divulged that it would not renew Stephen Colbert’s contract, Trump speculated that Kimmel might be next – stoking a fire that finally erupted this week. Once that actually happened, he goaded NBC into doing the same with Jimmy Fallon and Seth Meyers. Doesn’t he have more important things to do? Then again, what do we expect from a former reality TV show host, right?

To be fair, it’s worth noting that today’s late-night talk show ratings pale in comparison to what they once were when Johnny Carson and David Letterman were considered appointment television. The culture has undergone a massive shift to where these legacy network shows now compete with alternative sources of entertainment that include cable and streaming services, as well as bite-size entertainment from TikTok, YouTube and other online platforms that appeal to the demographic sweet spot of younger Americans who advertisers covet. So, while Trump’s ratings critique may ring true, it’s disingenuous and manipulative.

His critique is a right-wing version of cancel culture, which was created by so-called “woke” liberals, and it’s just one of several examples of conservative thought police in action, though supporters of this movement who are big on taking personal responsibility and being held accountable for their actions prefer to describe it as “consequence culture.” That’s a catchy phrase for justifying what they’re trying to do.

In my view, this is Orwellian – right out of the dystopian novel “1984,” but it’s also the new McCarthyism. Republican Sen. Joe McCarthy used similar tactics to vilify liberals during the Cold War by accusing them of being communists who were trying to overthrow the U.S. government. It’s the height of hypocrisy for conservatives who’ve long complained about cancel culture to turn around and do the same thing.

Don’t get me wrong: cancel culture on the left is also dangerous. But attempts to cancel careers over comments from either side of the aisle are extremist measures that are just plain wrong in a country built on freedom of expression. This is why I’m most comfortable in the sensible center of the political arena as a radical centrist who embraces creative and pragmatic solutions rather than ideological compromise.

I was so rattled by Jimmy’s fate that I texted my friend asking if his boss’s intention was to simply state the obvious: that Robinson was not part of the MAGA gang, which was in his view cynically trying to score political points by distancing their movement from him.

He knows I’m a journalist, but because of the firestorm of controversy politely declined to comment and thanked me for my supportive texts. I wished him well.
Trump had an opportunity to turn down the temperature following Kirk’s killing but instead doubled down on his critique – blaming liberal Democrats for inciting political violence that, truth be told, happens on both sides. America hasn’t been this divided since the Civil War and is in dire need of repair and unity.
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Ironically, Charlie Kirk understood that better than just about anyone on the left or right. He built a legacy on civil discourse in the public square, especially on high school and college campuses where it’s needed most of all. He also knew better than just about anyone that in order for the healing to begin, it’s important that we covet our First Amendment right without fear of recrimination and that we can respectfully disagree.