NEW UPDATE- Jimmy Kimmel Live back on all ABC stations

[opus]

They tried to turn the dead guy (who I believe firmly believed in free speech, correct me if I'm wrong) into a martyr. Instead they turned the living guy into one.



Jimmy Kimmel’s Return Breaks His YouTube Record: Most-Watched Monologue Ever

>>>So far, the show’s official YouTube account has clocked the monologue video at 14 million views in just 15 hours. Kimmel has many short clips from his show of sketches and guest interview segments that have racked up tens of millions of clicks over the years, but Tuesday night set a record in terms of Jimmy Kimmel Live! monologue videos. The video is still going strong and averaging about 1 million views an hour.

On ABC, Kimmel typically draws about 1.6 million viewers, but according to The New York Times, the network is expecting to generate far more than that in the official ratings— even with the Nexstar and Sinclair boycotts, which account for roughly 20 percent of the network’s stations.

Kimmel’s monologue is largely being hailed as meeting the moment.<<<

[opus]

A few more numbers

"Jimmy Kimmel Live" Returned on Tuesday to 6.26 Million Total Viewers on Broadcast, According to Initial Live+Same Day Measurement

[TMC]

Jimmy Kimmel’s suspension was more about Bob Iger’s legacy than politics: says ABC insiders

Bob Iger’s legacy matters more than politics, it seems.

Some ABC insiders believe Jimmy Kimmel’s suspension had more to do with Iger “trying to steady the ship,” and further cement a Walt Disney-like legacy before he eventually steps down as CEO of the Mickey Mouse company.

“[Iger] may come across as this slick Hollywood Mr. Nice Guy, but he’s no bulls–t. He’s all about business,” one insider told Page Six.

The source added of Iger and Kimmel: “He’s personal friends with Jimmy, which complicated the issue,” of him getting pulled off air.

Kimmel was yanked off-air last week for suggesting MAGA supporters and politicos were using the Charlie Kirk’s assassination for political gain.

“We hit some new lows over the weekend with the MAGA gang trying to characterize this kid who killed Charlie Kirk as anything other than one of them,” Kimmel said on his show referring to Tyler Robinson last week.

The comment sparked outrage from one of the biggest TV station conglomerates, Nexstar Media, who threatened to pull Kimmel from its ABC-affiliated markets. FCC chairman Brendan Carr thanked Nextar “for doing the right thing” and threatened to take action against ABC, saying, “local broadcasters have an obligation to serve the public’s interest.”

He added, “While this may be an unprecedented decision, it is important for broadcasters to push back on Disney programming that they determine falls short of community.” (Nexstar is in a bid to purchase, Telstar, another TV station owner, for $6.2 billion, which would need Carr’s approval to seal the deal).

“[Iger] is in no danger of not being rich, but if he loses the FCC and ABC suffers financially, then he suffers,” another source speculated. “He wants to be a visionary like Walt Disney,” they added, suggesting a fallout with the FCC would have a fatal blow to his Disney legacy.

Another insider told us Iger’s decision, “was guided by principle and the desire to do the right thing for the company.”

Meanwhile, our first source told us it’s not uncommon for ABC to yank people off the air, pointing to Bill Mahr, whose “Politically Incorrect” show got axed in 2002, and correspondent Brian Ross, who was booted in 2018.

In Kimmel’s case, however, ABC is bringing him back, which most [at the network] concur is “the perfect compromise,” our first source said

Kimmel will return to his show on Tuesday night. He subsequently returned to social media for the first time since the debacle earlier in the day. He shared a photo with Norman Lear and wrote: “Missing this guy today.”

A rep for Kimmel and Iger did not get back to us.

• Jimmy Kimmel rose to the occasion with his emotional and defiant late-night return from suspension
  
• Trump threatens ABC
  
• Jimmy Kimmel Live! returns to its most-watched episode ever with a preliminary 6.26 million viewers
  
• Charlie Kirk's Producer Scorches Jimmy Kimmel For Not Apologizing In His Comeback Monologue

[Dude111]

Originally Posted by stevea

And also, we must remember, no other administration/FCC has EVER impinged on free speech.

Broadcasting has always been a medium where anyone can say anything they want.

I guess your right Stevie.... The FCC tries to say ppl cant say swears on the air but they still do!

One night I was talking to a friend of mine who was a taxi dispatcher many years ago and he said 'the 7 words you cant say on radio' on the air... I keyed up and laughed afterwards and Joe said "Ill say them again" and he did... Nothing happend but if the FCC happend to be listening I wonder if they would have fired him???

I guess its not that easy to enforce.......

[Bonniegirl]

What exactly did Jimmy say? I saw it on the news and clips of him saying what he said. Watching a couple of times on different news casts , but I really didn't get what he said as being really that bad? Maybe I need to see it in writing.

[Marcus2026]

Originally Posted by Bonniegirl

What exactly did Jimmy say? I saw it on the news and clips of him saying what he said. Watching a couple of times on different news casts , but I really didn't get what he said as being really that bad? Maybe I need to see it in writing.

This is what Jimmy said exactly on that night's show that supposedly got him suspended:
"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."

Believe me, even in text, it didn't really make sense to cause the suspension in the first place.

[stevea]

Originally Posted by Bonniegirl

What exactly did Jimmy say? I saw it on the news and clips of him saying what he said. Watching a couple of times on different news casts , but I really didn't get what he said as being really that bad? Maybe I need to see it in writing.

Originally Posted by Marcus2026

This is what Jimmy said exactly on that night's show that supposedly got him suspended:
"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."

Believe me, even in text, it didn't really make sense to cause the suspension in the first place.

It was factually incorrect and the right went ballistic. But it was part of a comedy monologue, and these monologes have been part of late night TV for years.

It was supposedly free speech and the left went ballistic, but in broadcasting, there is no free speech (what you can and can't say is regulated). There are broadcast regulations that have been around since 1934, and the FCC is reviled in the profession. How do I know? I was in radio for a few years. You simply can't say anything you want on the airwaves. But had the FCC opened an investigation in this instance, nothing would have come of it, in my opinion.

My statement about the FCC never having been misused by politicians was tongue in cheek, "dues." One could cite all kinds of examples where politicians on both sides have demanded "action" by the FCC in various situations.

I made a comment in a thread that was discussing Nick at Nite recently, where they allegedly removed Friends from their rerun lineup. They actually did remove it for a few days, and brought it back. My remark was that it was possibly a publicity stunt. I know this Kimmel thing was not one (but on the other hand...well, never mind!), but if an ABC exec was to look back on how it unfolded, they could say something like, "I sure wish I had thought this one up. I'd demand a raise!"

[opus]

I heard the wife had a statement forgiving the shooter of her husband. But somehow the hatred of Jimmy Kimmel is eternal?

[Dude111]

They really shouldnt have let it get to them.....

I was talking to someone on the right and she said "He Told Lies"

I dunno.........

[stevea]

Originally Posted by opus

I heard the wife had a statement forgiving the shooter of her husband. But somehow the hatred of Jimmy Kimmel is eternal?

I heard the same thing on the news.

[cd637299]

Flame away if you wish, but here goes.

The word “hate” (or hatred) is thrown around way too much and too easily. The proper word in the case of Kimmel is “disagreement.”

If anyone thinks that what Nexstar & Sinclair are doing are anything new, they have another think coming.

I am Christian, far from Mormon…..Check out KSL-TV’s weekly schedule and look for Saturday Night Live. You won’t find it; the LDS ownership feels that SNL isn’t compatible with their beliefs. IIRC a Salt Lake City independent station is carrying it. It has been that way for who knows how long.

Miami has no Sinclair stations, but West Palm Beach does, including WPEC, whose display onscreen shows “CBS” instead of the call letters, which is my main complaint about them. It’s THEIR decision on Kimmel along with Nexstar; if they suffer financially, so be it; but NOBODY can say that they’re chasing the dollar on this whole shebang.

Maude had an abortion. Many CBS stations said NO to airing the episode, to which I say good for them, and they exercised their right.

I WILL say that in the case of KSL/Nexstar/Sinclair, WHY they run network programming AT ALL is a head scratcher.

Also in Utah you have LDS-owned PBS stations, which are far more left in philosophy than the mainstream media. Another head scratcher; don’t quote me, but I think that Mormon Ken “Jeopardy!” Jennings donates to PBS.

I’m all for free speech. But we all know one cannot yell “Fire” in a crowded theater….you get the drift.

The REAL hate, is what Tyler R. demonstrated.

cd

[TJ]

This is a historic situation due to the number of stations refusing to air the show.

It's a completely different situation because of the Nexstar and Sinclair mergers. Those deals are unlikely to get approved without the Trump administration getting something in return. It was the same situation with Stephen Colbert. Notice how quickly the merger was approved after it was announced his contract wasn't going to be renewed.

Why didn't he try to get the late night talk shows off the air during his first term? He had no leverage to put any pressure on the networks because there was no merger talk. It's all about money.

He will never be able to get ABC's broadcast license revoked. It would be tied up in litigation for years. He will be long out of office.

I don't know if there are any programs which are must runs. I guess the affiliates aren't required to air everything even in prime time. My local ABC affiliate didn't start airing Jimmy Kimmel until 2007. There's no way ABC would pull all of their prime time programming off their affiliates.

[icecream]

One solitary station never airing Saturday Night Live (and it still airing in the local market) won't impact the ratings like 23% of ABC stations not airing Jimmy Kimmel (although his return was dominant anyway). Maude was several decades ago, half a century now. Nexstar and Sinclair never should have been allowed to own so many local stations, which will get even worse if Nexstar's next takeover is approved.

[cd637299]

Originally Posted by icecream

One solitary station never airing Saturday Night Live (and it still airing in the local market) won't impact the ratings like 23% of ABC stations not airing Jimmy Kimmel (although his return was dominant anyway). Maude was several decades ago, half a century now. Nexstar and Sinclair never should have been allowed to own so many local stations, which will get even worse if Nexstar's next takeover is approved.

My only point is that the situation isn’t unprecedented. That’s all.

When NBC had the Nat King Cole variety show in the late 50s, some Deep South stations wouldn’t carry him, because of his skin color. Now THAT was hate.

(EDIT: the individual stations themselves may have had to make the decision on Cole due to possibly having their tower or studio blown up.)

cd

[cd637299]

As to Kimmel not being blacklisted (or whatever the proper word is) during Trump’s first term, it may have been a case of being “just another late night show” at the time.

One gunshot changed the game, sad to say.

cd