Political speaker and activist Jimmy Kimmel of “Jimmy Kimmel Live!” was suspended on Sept. 17 after he made a joke about conservatives trying to make Charlie Kirk’s killer seem non-conservative. If figures as memorable and iconic as Jimmy Kimmel have to worry about saying something too controversial, media creativity will be permanently hindered and contained.
Students now have to worry if what they say could permanently hinder their reputation or cause them to be attacked by their peers. Seeing professionals punished, students worry that their political views of the world could get them kicked out of clubs, activities, or friend groups.
The suspension of Kimmel’s show was un-American, considering it’s essentially a violation of the First Amendment. In the First Amendment, it says, “Congress shall make no law respecting an establishment of religion, or prohibiting the free exercise thereof; or abridging the freedom of speech.” When the Federal Communications Committee ordered that Kimmel’s show be canceled, it hindered him from using his First Amendment right.
Freedom of speech is a paramount right because it keeps the government from forming people’s opinions for them. If the government has control of what can and cannot be released, they can control how they are perceived by the nation, potentially censor news, and extend their power far beyond what is just.
Other late-night show hosts are reacting reasonably to Kimmel’s temporary absence. John Oliver, the host of “Last Week Tonight With John Oliver,” stated that the decision to remove Kimmel’s show was not unexpected. He argued that the reason the government really wanted to suspend him had nothing to do with Charlie Kirk; rather, the government canceled Kimmel because of comments he made about them because they don’t want to seem imperfect to the media. Controlling the creative media goes completely against American values and the point of having a democracy. People should have the right to criticize administrations because it keeps the government in check.
The show returned Sept. 23 and came back with a bang. Kimmel chose to defend free speech in his opening monologue. Following his return, Kimmel’s monologue was emotional, to say the least. Kimmel talked about how it takes credit to speak out against the current administration, and that the government should not have control over what people do and say. Furthermore, Kimmel described how he never intended to make a joke of Kirk’s death and praised Erika Kirk for her speech, expressing how admirable her choice to forgive the man who murdered her husband, Tyler Robinson, was.
Freedom of speech is important to the media’s creativity in elements such as social media and television. Without the freedom to allow people to say what they believe, the internet, television, and movie creators are limited to creating nonpartisan, non-opinionated, and non-controversial media. When governments are able to ban creative media they deem “inappropriate,” it causes them to be able to ban whatever they don’t like with no consequences. In a post on X, a user stated that TikTok has banned users from looking up words and phrases such as “Donald Trump rigged election” and “fascism” with screenshots from the TikTok search page of no results coming up in the United States and many results coming up in the United Kingdom. On Jan. 19, TikTok was temporarily banned for a couple of hours. When it returned, a message on the homepage said “Welcome back! Thanks for your patience and support. As a result of President Trump’s efforts, TikTok is back in the U.S.!” This is a direct example of Trump looking to control the media to work in his own favor. This control of the media influences Trump’s image in the public eye, which is dangerous because of the large percentage of people, specifically Gen Z, who get the majority of their news information from platforms such as TikTok.
Creators on platforms such as TikTok, Instagram, and YouTube provide viewers with perspectives and opinions about important topics, including the political state of the country. While these posts can sometimes be misleading or entirely opinion-based, they are a valuable part of our creative media and contribute to internet culture and balance. The internet is a great way for people all over the world to come together, create, and share ideas, and limiting this destroys the community that has been built for years.
The government taking away our freedom of speech is the first step in the destruction of creative media. Americans, stand your ground and do not let others control your freedom of speech.
