Selective Outrage: Not Free Speech, Just Approved Hate Repeating
Kimmel’s Fall
Jimmy Kimmel Gets Suspended by his Employer.
ABC indefinitely suspended late-night host Jimmy Kimmel on September 17, 2025, over comments he made about conservative commentator Charlie Kirk’s shooter. I known lie meant to divide. He refused to apologize or correct his lie, in fact he wanted more division and hate and threatened to double down.
Low Ratings and “Hateful Lies” Add Insult to Injury
Kimmel’s show’s ratings dropped to 1.1 million viewers in August 2025, a 37 percent drop since 2015 and nearly half since the year’s start. Costs of keeping the program and Kimmel’s “hateful lies” were also cited in his dismissal. The networks have the right to regulate their own speech. It is not a violation of free speech when media owners curate content while artists (and I use that term lightly) express themselves on their own platforms.
Roseanne Dismissal for Racist Tweet created cheering not support of Free Speech
For contrast, Kimmel’s suspension prompted calls to boycott Disney and ABC among liberals on social media and in the entertainment industry. The show Roseanne was canceled by its network in 2018 after star Roseanne Barr tweeted a racist remark about former President Barack Obama and his advisor Valerie Jarrett. The quote was wrong however it was on her own social media not on a network owned show.
While Barr later apologized, other cast members, such as co-star Sara Gilbert, also publicly distanced themselves from her comments. Some stars supported Barr, but the overall response from the industry and public was overwhelmingly negative toward her. Longtime co-star John Goodman “felt bad” about Barr’s tweet but made no public comment then or during her later brief return to the show. Kimmel himself made no apology and did not call for boycotts.
Fox Fires Tucker Carlson
In July 2023, Tucker Carlson was terminated by Fox News.Celebrities in entertainment including Kimmel (who poked fun on his show) and progressive congresswoman Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez (AOC) gloated on social media. Even Jon Stewart took a dig. Not one media elite decried “cancel culture.” It was never about Free Speech it was only about division and controlling the narrative.
Many of those now chanting and reposting boycott calls now also as well as Hollywood stars like Pedro Pascal, screenwriters like Wajahat Ali, labor unions, and fans and followers kept silent or even praised such earlier high-profile cancellations.
For the Roseanne firing, liberals including Rita Moreno, Kumail Nanjiani, and Jeffrey Wright praised ABC or were more concerned about a potential racist backlash than violations of free speech. Liberals and progressives blasted Tucker Carlson’s firing and celebrated the decision. Free speech is not supported here; only certain approved messages are supported—and often they are full of hate, such as Kimmel’s highly divisive and false statements.
Social Media Sheep: Who Else Is Canceled?
The Biden/Obama administrations had strongly pressured social media companies to censor both President Trump and anyone criticizing their COVID or vaccine policies. The Twitter Files revealed explicit Obama and Biden White House pressure and Tim Cook cited it in the New York Times. Mark Zuckerberg admitted in May 2023 that Meta caved to government pressure from “screaming” officials, while Twitter, Facebook, and Google executives testified to Congress that they received interference in such censorship cases.
The same elites call for censorship, don’t they? Did you quit Facebook or Twitter? No. The loud chanting and signing masses all remained logged in. These boycott calls are only about supporting the hate speech that supports one’s ideology not about free speech.
ABC and Disney own the Platforms, Not Kimmel
Full freedom of speech is not only about the right to work at Disney. Kimmel is free to say or do what he wants on his own platforms—he just can’t do so on Disney’s. Free speech requires a level of trust in private entities to choose what to say and who to hire. Speech is limited, after all, on platforms from personal email accounts to social media and private media companies. When free speech is only when they like your message or hate their message? That’s not freedom of speech.
Boycott Calls Punish Workers and Not the Elite
ABC/Disney boycott calls would fall hardest on low-paid workers including crew and employees at Disney theme parks, rather than the company’s C-suite and major shareholders. Some major industries, including Hollywood, have eliminated tens of thousands of jobs via strikes. In 2025, estimates are that as few as 10 percent of those lost jobs have returned, in part from a slowing economy. Kimmel is worth over $100 million and owns seven multimillion-dollar homes across California. Celebrities and the super-wealthy own the real estate and mass media, but don’t pay to replace the lost jobs for other workers. Don’t expect billionaires to. But shouldn’t we expect more from those who follow them? Isn’t it alarming that the less wealthy in America are the ones who punch down on the class they are supposedly standing up for?
Wake up: This is not free speech, it is manufactured outrage from inside mansions.
