In order to stop the cycling where the Democratic Party wins about half the time, Trump would have to not just suppress jokes about dead Republicans, but would need to show control over almost all of network television.
If Kimmel apologizes for speaking ill of the dead, while frequently insulting living Republicans, Trump will look like a weakling among the real dictators he pals around with.
I’m not saying that Kimmel should apologize, or should not. I’m saying that such an apology – combined with continuing mockery of the guy in the White House – will not much matter.
Maybe he needs to do it to get his show running on ABC affiliates.
If he apologizes, many progressives will conclude that Kimmel is the enemy. By itself, that matters not a fig in terms of whether America remains a country where you can criticize the administration on mainstream media. But defeating dictatorship requires a big tent, and I won’t like it if Kimmel is cast out over Charlie Kirk.
EDIT: Going by this FoxNews story, Sinclair will not be running the Kimmel show Tuesday night. I’m thinking that means Kimmel has not agreed to apologize.
I’d like to see him trot out a fair amount of agreeable, maybe rival talk show hosts and maybe a couple news anchors on his stage. Brave entertainment types, as back up.
Simply explain what he said and why it was not against Kirk but against alive people being deceptive.
Let the cards fall where they may.
Whether Sinclair plays the show or not, what ever Kimmel says will be top news. It will be heard.
I am missing something here. Charlie Kirk is not the administration. Apologizing over Charlie Kirk would just show that you cannot criticize dead Republicans.
Being a successful comedian requires saying stuff that makes people gasp, and it will be hard to do it while worrying about what Sinclair and Nexstar will think. I’ll give you that much.
Sinclair has some big ABC markets including St. Louis, Portland, Seattle, and Washington D.C. They will not get the Kimmel show tomorrow night, when Kimmel is likely to get record ratings, and is also likely to criticize the administration. This is the big deal in terms of suppressing criticism of the administration.
You are close to correct about Trump bring the one person Kimmel clearly attacked in his Charlie Kirk monologue (Kimmel also prejudged that the alleged murderer is guilty, a pretty clear attack in my book). Kimmel seems not to have actually attacked Kirk, so I have to walk back that part of what I posted here today. But the attack on Trump was in the context of the Kirk murder. In the unlikely event Kimmel does apologize for disrespect to Kirk’s memory and then goes on to mock Trump, it would show you can indeed criticize Trump, at least on network-owned stations.
Unless Kimmel has been lobotomized or had a new personality installed I see NO WAY he will apologize to DJT. No way.
He may address the fact Kirk’s killer is not MAGA or so it appears, but was motivated by hateful words about trans people. And that taking the life of another person is a tragedy for their children. That is about the most I can see happening.
My point is more that the principle of the thing doesn’t matter so long as mainstream media continues to frequently host criticisms of the administration.
And as JRDelirious alluded, the standard way you get around this is to apologize to anyone who thought that was what I said, and was offended. Would Sinclair consider that good enough? Tonight, no,. But by next week, I suppose it may depend on Kimmel’s ratings, and whatever pressure ABC can apply..
What’s in the contract between ABC and Sinclair? Are network affiliates really allowed to pick and choose what shows to run? I’d hope that if Sinclair and Nexstar keep this up, ABC can look for an alternative, existing, station, in those markets, to be their network affiliate. If so, Kimmel can wait this out. I’m not saying what he should do, just that progressives shouldn’t set up a purity test.
The principle of the thing does matter because any apology will be Trump’s to claim he won and the MAGA memory will be that Kimmel came out in support of Kirk’s murder.
You supposedly responded to my post, but didn’t mention that Sinclair is also saying that Kimmel has to contribute money to Kirk’s organization. Please address this.
Sinclair owns exactly one ABC affiliate in a top 10 market, WJLA in Washington DC. The next highest are Seattle (#12), St. Louis (#24) and Portland OR (#22.) The rest are in medium-to-small markets.
On the other hand, ABC owns stations in Los Angeles, New York, San Francisco, Chicago, Philadelphia, Houston, Fresno CA and Durham-Raleigh-Fayetteville NC, and has affiliates owned by friendly companies in each of the top 25 markets.
Sinclair may be the largest owner of ABC affiliates, but do you think ABC cares if Kimmel doesn’t air in Ottumwa Iowa (#200)?
Sinclair does not have the clout they think they have.