Low-rated "comedian" Jimmy Kimmel is headed back on the air after he was briefly suspended for lying about who murdered Charlie Kirk. As RedState reported, the late-night host will return on Tuesday night, marking a victory for the far-left elites who rallied to his defense.
SEE: Jimmy Kimmel Now to Return to ABC
So much for all the cries of "fascism," I suppose. Early on in this controversy, I opined that controversial comments from FCC Chairman Brendan Carr were not the reason for Kimmel's suspension. It seems I was right, given this reversal wouldn't have happened if ABC were truly terrified of the federal government taking action. Still, the press and the Democratic Party spent five days going nuts, claiming the Trump administration was destroying free speech because a private company benched a guy who is losing them millions of dollars a year.
If anything, Carr's comments were counterproductive in that they left ABC executives battling allegations that they were bending the knee to government coercion. That likely played more of a role in their decision to fold to Kimmel than anything. But while ABC's climb down may have soothed the cries of Hollywood elites, not everyone is ready to roll over.
Sinclair, which owns a large number of ABC affiliates, has announced it will preempt Kimmel's show while it continues to negotiate with ABC about the path forward.
It's fairly obvious why Sinclair is doing this, and it wouldn't surprise me if we see Nexstar, another large affiliate owner, follow suit. These companies do not expect Kimmel to go on air and show any contrition about his comments, much less offer a sincere apology. Rather, they expect him to double down in a show of defiance. Whether ABC can somehow persuade him to do otherwise has yet to be seen. So why should Sinclair put its neck on the line for a clown like Kimmel when they don't know how this will be handled?
In that sense, their decision to preempt Kimmel's show is just smart business. It's also a necessary moral stand in the face of abject cowardice on the part of ABC. The legacy broadcast network had a chance to rid itself of a money sink and negative lightning rod, but instead, they let a bunch of actors and politicians intimidate them into a self-defeating reversal. What now? They just keep setting cash on fire to make sure Jennifer Aniston and Jim Acosta are happy? Talk about painting yourself into a corner. Kimmel will now be unfirable no matter what happens.
Hopefully, Sinclair gains some actual concessions here. An apology would seem unsatisfying at this point, given we know Kimmel isn't actually sorry. But making him suck it up and deliver one would be a start, I guess.
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