Just to be clear: I don’t think the Trump administration or any president should be pressuring the networks to fire people. I think they should be hands-off if they care about free speech.
On the other hand, the network caved. That was their choice. They could have fought it. So it isn’t censorship. But it also isn’t something we want. Let the market decide. Let the networks pay these blowhards millions. Let the American people see who they are. Let the ratings sink even further. Let them be tossed off the air for that reason.
I should have included this in my last email. Here is a story by Matt Taibbi:
Matt and Walter will be discussing it on America This Week. Fire also issued a statement:
Ironically, the late-night talk show hosts have served at the pleasure of the President, but only if they’re Democrats.
Now, now we will have to listen to the sanctimonious speeches about free speech as though the last ten years never happened. I’m not sure I can take the hypocrisy. It’s good for America that Jimmy Kimmel is off the air. But bad for America if the government decides that. In this case, they didn’t. But still.
Amazing how when the shoe is on the other foot, suddenly it’s government censorship. Hypocrisy indeed. And who cares about Jimmy Kimmel? He was a real douchebag.
To be clear, this was a monetary decision by ABC - same as it was by CBS when they decided to end Colbert's contract. Kimmel is at least as expensive as Colbert, and he was losing at least as much money. He just happened to hand ABC a big fat excuse to cut their losses by opening his big fat mouth for the millionth offensive time.
boofreakinhoo, Jimmy.