Here’s my reaction Monday on CTV News Network to the news that Jimmy Kimmel will be back on ABC Tuesday night, This happened so fast I didn’t even have time to cancel my Disney+ subscription! A lot of other people did, however, including Howard Stern. Many others turned up the heat, including John Oliver and Bill Maher, who last Friday on HBO’s Real Time thought back to his own firing 22 years ago and cracked that ABC stands for “Always Be Caving.”
Even some who should be thankful to ABC right now stopped to show where their true alliegience resides. Sarah McLachlan for one canceled a performance ahead of the premiere of her new Disney+ documentary on Lillithfair. Even mock arch enemy Matt Damon came out in support of Kimmel!
Dare we say that this is in response to an overwhelming push back against an assault on free speech in America? Even comedians from the past were weighing in, including George Carlin, who popped up on my phone over the weekend in a video from 35 years ago. He was shown in concert pacing a stage and laying into the Federal Communication Commission for a targeted assault on broadcasters dating back to the ’70s. (Brought on by American Family Foundation founder reverend and All in the Family hater Donald Wildmon.)
Carlin pointing out that the FCC itself — an unelected, appointed body answerable only to the president — had long ago determined that radio and television were outside the First Amendment protection enshrining the right to free speech in America.
Time was, said Carlin, folks could operated the two knobs on the radio — the one-off knob or the other one — and change the channel. Brendan Carr, appointed by Trump as chair of the current FCC, was rushing in and attempting to change the channel for the people. The people, apparently, pushed back.
They pushed back hard and fast enough that the message got through to ABC CEO Bob Iger: stand up to these bullies in the White House and the FCC. Bravo Iger (whose wife Willow Bay, by the way, teaches an ethics course at the Annenberg School of Journalism), now I can keep streaming the new season of Only Murders in the Building.
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The question now: what will Jimmy say Tuesday at 11:35 p.m. on ABC? As Trump would say, the ratings are going to be huuuge.
