For Jimmy Kimmel, this was his crowning moment — the pinnacle of his showbiz career. And he probably even beat Greg Gutfeld (gasp!) in the ratings.

But it won’t last. After all, it was only a moment.

For liberals, Jimmy Kimmel is now a Free Speech martyr who was censored by the goose-steppers in the Trump administration, but because the American people were so outraged, freedom finally prevailed. Last night, Kimmel made his triumphant return to the ABC/Disney airwaves, and liberals proudly rode the victory lap.

Here was his opening monologue:

The liberal storyline about Kimmel and Free Speech perfectly complemented their ongoing “Trump is a Nazi” narrative, with a heaping portion of “Democracy dies in darkness.” But much more importantly for the left, Kimmel won: His suspension was lifted with nary an apology.

It’s the left’s first “victory” since Election Day 2024, and they’re gonna try their damndest to use it as a launching pad.

Which is why they’re also selling Kimmel’s comeback as a pivotal turning point in the Culture War:

Paul Krugman: Is the Jimmy Kimmel Saga a Sign that the Tide is Turning?

Raw Story: We won the battle over Jimmy Kimmel. Here's how to win the PR war with Trump

New York Times: Jimmy Kimmel, Somber but Defiant, Defends Free Speech in Return to ABC

Washington Post: Jimmy Kimmel defends free speech in late-night return

New Republic: MAGA Rages Over Jimmy Kimmel’s Return—and Reveals a Big Trump Weakness

BBC: Jimmy Kimmel calls out ‘anti-American’ threats to free speech in tearful TV return

The Atlantic: Jimmy Kimmel Ran Right at His Critics

Reuters: Jimmy Kimmel defends free speech as he returns to late-night television from suspension

HuffPost: ‘That Backfired Bigly’: Jimmy Kimmel Gloats At Trump With 1 Blistering Observation

Christian Science Monitor: Jimmy Kimmel is back on air — but the free speech battle isn’t over

As PR tactics go, it was a well-executed plan, because Kimmel’s target audience is exclusively on the left. Per Fox News' reporting:

A new study from Media Research Center’s NewsBusters shows that "Jimmy Kimmel Live!" had a strong liberal bias, with conservatives bearing the brunt of 92% of the late-night host’s political jokes while Democrats were largely spared. 

[…]

NewsBusters also reported that 97% (61 out of 63) of Kimmel's guests since Sept. 2022 have been liberals.

Jimmy Kimmel Live isn’t a TV show for conservatives, but “comfort food” for leftists. There wasn’t even a half-arsed attempt to be even-handed: Kimmel is an unapologetic, over-the-top cheerleader for liberal causes and Democratic candidates — period, end of story. Conservatives aren’t welcome.

If conservatives boycotted his show… so what? Can’t miss what he never had.

Kimmel’s PR campaign worked because he successfully moved the goalposts: Instead of defending what he actually said, he defended the larger ideal of Free Speech.

Which was essential to his PR plan, because what he said was indefensible: Jimmy Kimmel was caught red-handed spreading misinformation — on an ABC/Disney platform — about the most shocking political assassination of our generation.

And he did so when Charlie Kirk’s body was still warm.

He could’ve used his platform to condemn political violence. Or to comfort the millions of Americans who were mourning Charlie’s murder. Or to appeal to our better angels, urging peace, justice, and reconciliation.

But he didn’t. Instead, he mocked conservatives, ridiculed Trump for expressing grief, and — most egregiously — spread misinformation about the killer being connected to the MAGA movement.

Here’s what he said on Sept. 15, per the BBC:

The row started after Kimmel said in his monologue on 15 September that the "Maga gang" were "desperately trying to characterise this kid who murdered Charlie Kirk as anything other than one of them" and trying to "score political points from it".

He also made fun of Trump's reaction to the influencer's murder, showing a clip of the president responding to a question about how he was mourning the death by changing the subject to construction of a new White House ballroom.

Kimmel compared the response to "how a four-year-old mourns a goldfish".

Very notably, during his much-ballyhooed late-night comeback, Kimmel didn’t apologize for ANYTHING he actually said. Not one apology for spreading misinformation about the killer — not one word about ridiculing conservatives for “mourning” incorrectly.

Instead, he claimed this:

“…[Y]ou understand that it was never my intention to make light of the murder of a young man. I don’t think there’s anything funny about it.”

Question: Then why did Kimmel’s show flash its “applause” sign during his Sept. 15 “jokes” about Kirk, Trump, and MAGA?

Kimmel continued:

“…[N]or was it my intention to blame any specific group for the actions of what was obviously a deeply disturbed individual. That was really the opposite of the point I was trying to make.”

Question: If your “point” was that the killer was a “deeply disturbed individual” and it’s wrong to blame “any specific group,” then why did you say, “The MAGA gang [is] desperately trying to characterize this kid who murdered Charlie Kirk as anything other than one of them”? 

Correct me if I’m wrong, but weren’t those words prewritten, prescreened, preapproved — and printed verbatim on the cue cards you’re reading?

The implication was crystal clear.

Nonetheless, Kimmel continued:

But I understand that to some, that felt either ill-timed or unclear or maybe both. And for those who think I did point the finger, I get why you’re upset. If the situation was reversed, there’s a good chance I’d have felt the same way.”

If you’re married, you recognize the “I understand why you’re so upset” non-apology apology. In fact, you’ve probably tried it yourself after saying something stupid.

(Pro Tip: It never works. Like, ever.)

From then on, Kimmel pivoted to Free Speech, casting himself as a fierce, uncompromising warrior against corporate censorship and government overreach:

“The president of the Unites States made it very clear he wants to see me and the hundreds of people who work here fired from our jobs. Our leader celebrates Americans losing their livelihoods because he can’t take a joke.”

Wait. Just a few minutes earlier, Kimmel claimed “it was never my intention to make light of the murder of a young man. I don’t think there’s anything funny about it.”

Question: If nothing’s funny about it, then why was he making a “joke” that Trump couldn’t take?

When you break down his argument, it quickly collapses: He told a joke that wasn’t really a joke, because nothing’s funny about it — but it was also the president’s fault for not taking said joke. Kimmel understands why conservatives are upset and if the situation was reversed, there a “chance” he’d feel the same way — but it’s nothing he’ll actually apologize over. 

Don’t be silly!

Instead, he wrapped himself in the First Amendment:

“This show is not important. What is important is that we get to live in a country that allows us to have a show like this. …We have to speak out against this because [Trump]’s not stopping.”

Weirdly, Kimmel failed to recognize the Free Speech danger when ABC/Disney fired conservatives like Gina Carano and Roseanne. Nor did he complain when conservatives were banned from media platforms. 

The opposite is true. He celebrated and laughed:

His interpretation of Free Speech is awfully self-serving, isn’t it? Good for me, but not for thee.

Guess it all depends on whose ox is being gored.

Related: The Magical World of the Liberal Mind: Palestine, Jimmy Kimmel, and Other Idiots

But the most brazenly self-serving moment was still to come: Just before the first commercial break, Jimmy Kimmel evoked the name of Charlie Kirk’s widow:

“I don’t know if you saw this on Sunday. Erika Kirk forgave the man who shot her husband. She forgave him. That is an example we should follow. If you believe in the teaching of Jesus, as I do, there it was. That’s it. A selfless act of grace, forgiveness from a grieving widow. It touched me deeply and I hope it touches many, and if there’s anything we should take from this tragedy to carry forward, I hope it can be that, uh, and not this.”

Once again, the implication was clear: If Erika Kirk could forgive the killer, then surely Jimmy Kimmel is deserving of forgiveness, too. (Gina Carano and Roseanne? Eh, not as much.) 

C’mon, conservatives. Don’t be hypocritical.

Of course, Kimmel hasn’t ASKED for forgiveness. Nor has he ever apologized to Erika Kirk — or anyone else he hurt with his non-joke “jokes” and misinformation about a political assassination. 

Not even once.

Instead of using his Free Speech to comfort a widow, he appropriated a widow’s Free Speech to comfort himself.

How brave. 

And almost immediately, Turning Point USA spokesman Andrew Kolvet called Kimmel out on it:

Kimmel didn’t apologize to Erika Kirk, Charlie Kirk, Turning Point USA, Donald Trump, the MAGA movement, or anyone else. That’s because he doesn’t believe he has anything to apologize for — and Blue America wholeheartedly agrees with him. 

Instead, Kimmel moved the goalposts to reframe the story as a battle for Free Speech: The freedom to spread misinformation about your political enemies.

And liberals responded with thunderous applause.

Jimmy Kimmel is back, but the controversy isn’t over. The goalposts aren’t finished moving; the debate isn’t done.

Watch out, Disney: The blowback is just beginning.

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