More Reaction to ABC Selling Out the First Amendment to American Duce Wannabe Trump for the All Mighty Buck

From Mike Luckovich

Are you still subscribed to either Disney, Hulu, or ESPN?

Over the last 24 hours many are not are have vowed never to watch anything on those channels for the foreseeable future in reaction to ABC News, in their quest for the all might buck and monopoly control of sports streaming in this country, sacrificed late night comedian Jimmy Kimmel and the First Amendment on the alter of Donald Trump’s MAGA-Project 2025 Controlled FCC and Justice Department so they can get merger approval for Disney and sports streaming Fubo as well as smooth the way for their local affiliates owned by Nexstar to acquire another assemblage of local affiliates owned by Tegna.

Monopoly Capitalism at its worst.

Taking the victory lap around the Kimmel decision, FCC Chairperson and Trump Project 2025 apostate Brendan Carr said these moves, including what happened to Stephen Colbert are designed to run local media outlets so they “Get to decide what the American People think.”

On Air Force One, following his trip to the United Kingdom, the American Duce Wannabe told a gaggle of reporters that since the networks were licensed by the federal government, they should not be allowed to criticize him.

No American reporter asked about the Kimmel suspension during a joint press conference with the British Prime Minister.

A British Journalist did.

What cowards and insults to their profession.

It is bad enough that they do not call out Trump when he says outlandish things like the country was dead before he came back last January, inflation is gone, and gas is down to $2.00 a gallon.

Now, in order to save their ticket on the White House Press Pool and not get kicked off the island like the Associated Press, they are ignoring the important questions of the day at a public press conference.

George Orwell is probably spinning in his grave right now.

Reaction to the Kimmel suspension has been fast and furious from allies and supporters of the comedian and the First Amendment.

Former Late Night Host David Letterman speaking at a forum sponsored by The Atlantic said:

“We all see where this is going, correct. It’s managed media and it’s no good. It’s silly. It’s ridiculous and you can’t go around firing somebody because you’re fearful or trying to suck up to an authoritarian criminal administration in the Oval Office. That’s just not how this works.”

The other late night comedy giant, Jay Leno also spoke out in support of Kimmel, telling people:

“Look, I’m a huge proponent of free speech, please. I’m on Jimmy Kimmel’s side…You don’t get cancelled saying popular things…Usually it’s the truth that winds up getting cancelled…It’s a comedian talking. If they don’t like it, don’t watch it...Let the people decide. If people like a show, it’s stays on the air. It’s as simple as that. I mean, I enjoy Jimmy. I like all the guys. I think they’re really talented…”

Leno also said he felt the future of comedy was going to be okay.

Figuring he had nothing to lose since CBS has given him a years notice, Stephen Colbert’s opening act this evening was spot on.

Several of Arizona’s leaders commented on the Kimmel suspension.

Representative Yassamin Ansari was the first prominent Democrat to speak out on what happened, posting:

Her full comments are below:

“Holy shit. Jimmy Kimmel just got fired after threats from Trump’s FCC chair. This is insane, and it’s not just about one comedian. It’s a pattern. Colbert has been targeted. Trump’s foul lawsuits against the New York Times, the Wall Street Journal, and 60 Minutes. He has squeezed CBS and ABC into settlements. He’s even blocked the Associated Press from the White House, and now he’s politicizing the horrific murder of Charlie Kirk to go even further. He’s using tragedy as an excuse to silence critics and scare people into staying quiet. That’s the Authoritarian playbook. You don’t have to love Jimmy Kimmel to see how dangerous this is in a Democracy. Dissent shouldn’t be optional in a Democracy. It’s what keeps leaders accountable. Charlie Kirk’s family deserves peace and healing. What they don’t deserve is to have their grief twisted into a weapon to destroy the First Amendment in the United States. If we don’t push back. If we stay quiet, dissent disappears, and so does Democracy. That’s why we have to speak out. We have to get organized and fight back right now.”

Representative Greg Stanton made two posts.

In the first, he wrote:

“First he went after Colbert. Today, Trump and the FCC coerced ABC to kick Kimmel off the air. And he’s suing the New York Times and Wall Street Journal for reporting the truth about his relationship with Epstein. This is an assault on free speech by a wannabe authoritarian.”

Later he posted:

Arizona Senator Mark Kelly posted on social media:

Our country prides itself on people being able to say what they want, where they want, when they want. But Jimmy Kimmel getting yanked off the air is about more than that.

Trump’s FCC Chairman made it clear he wanted Kimmel cancelled. He’s the guy who signs off on the multi-billion dollar merger benefitting a couple big media companies. So they cancelled Kimmel to make sure they get paid.

Government is supposed to serve you, not power hungry bureaucrats, and not rich media executives. But when it doesn’t, that can threaten the free speech of more than just one comedian.”

Arizona State Democratic House Leader Oscar De Los Santos commented to Blog for Arizona:

Weaponizing the federal government to silence critics for making fun of President Trump should terrify every freedom-loving person in our country. The thin-skinned Snowflake-in-Chief should stop watching TV all day and worry more about the economic train wreck he has created.”

Vice President of Matters of State Strategies Matt Grodsky commented to Blog for Arizona:

Does ABC stand for always be cowering now? First it was Colbert now its Kimmel. Where are the free speech advocates? We have roughly 400 days to decide if we want to stay America or operate like North Korea instead.”

Third Way Senior Communications Director Kate deGruyter commented to Blog for Arizona:

Whatever their background or political views, all Americans should be deeply concerned when the federal government uses its power to silence critics and comedians. Our freedom of speech is a check on the abuse of power and privilege and an essential part of the American experiment. True patriots recognize that freedom must extend to friend and foe alike and are speaking out right now about the dangerous precedent the Trump Administration is setting.”

From Dr. Rachel Bitecofer

Political Commentator and Democratic Consultant Dr. Rachel Bitecofer commented to Blog for Arizona:

An American President threatening to use government power to cut off free speech and punish his political enemies should made all red blooded Americans wake up and take note.”

In a more in-depth piece in The Cycle on Sub Stack, she penned:

“We’re nine months into Trump’s second term, and we’ve hit the point where one wrong word can get you yanked off the air. That’s the telltale marker of autocracy: when speech isn’t just risky, it’s policed — not only by the tools of the regime but by the corporations too scared to cross it.

The New Line: Say It and You’re Gone

The Jimmy Kimmel suspension is the clearest signal yet. Here’s a network star, pulled off air not just because of a controversial monologue, but because the FCC chair leaned on affiliates with a wink and a threat. 

“Either you do something, or we’ll do something for you” was the message, and companies got it loud and clear. That’s how authoritarian control works in modern democracies — not with jackboots kicking down studio doors, but with regulators and corporate boards deciding it’s safer to purge.

This isn’t the first. We’ve already watched multiple corporations fold under pressure, pulling critical voices before they could become liabilities. The White House doesn’t even have to call anymore. The fear is ambient.

The Fox Exception

Now, let’s talk about Fox. For 30 years, Fox News has poured gasoline on the fire — teaching conservatives to live inside a parallel reality. We have the receipts: experiments showing Fox viewership directly boosted Republican vote share, surveys showing Fox viewers less informed than people who watched no news at all, COVID studies showing Fox consumption literally correlated with higher death rates. The Dominion lawsuit blew the lid off: texts showing Tucker, Hannity, Ingraham knew the election fraud claims were bullshit but aired them anyway.

And what happened after Fox admitted — in court! — that it lied? Nothing. No FCC hearing. No sanctions. Not even a wrist-slap. The chair who will lean on Disney to yank a late-night host didn’t say a fucking word about the biggest, most consequential disinformation campaign in modern history. That silence tells you everything.

The Purge Strategy

Fox is the protected state outlet. Everyone else is expendable. That’s why you didn’t see Fox anchors worrying about license renewals or corporate boards panicking about regulatory heat. But comedians? Cable hosts? Local journalists who still think “truth” is their job? They’re fair game.

And that asymmetry is the strategy. Keep one propaganda channel safe, and you don’t need to censor the rest — you just make examples out of them. Pull Kimmel, scare the next network. Threaten licenses, scare the local affiliates. Everyone else gets quieter, tighter, safer. That’s how you build a monoculture without passing a single law.

One Wrong Word

The point is simple. We’re not speculating anymore. The 25-year Fox experiment already hollowed out truth for half the country. Trump’s return has added the missing piece: punishment. Say the wrong word, ask the wrong question, show the wrong evidence — you’re gone.

Fox won’t save you. Fox is the fortress. Everyone else? They’re just learning the hard way what happens when you let propaganda become the baseline and never build the defenses to stop it.

Nine months in, and the chill is here. One wrong word.”

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In November 2024, most swing voters across this country chose to ignore the track record, the criminal acts, the two impeachments, the serial lying, the dead bodies from his mismanagement of COVID, and January 6, 2021, and pulled the lever to vote for Donald Trump and against American Democracy because they believed he had no knowledge of Project 2025, would deport criminal illegal immigrants and bring prices down.

How is that bet working out?

ABC, in their quest for the all mighty dollar and a monopoly slice of corporate media, sold out the First Amendment to the Constitution.

The people who voted for Trump because reducing the cost of living was worth more than civil rights and the titans at Disney who put profits over the Constitution should remember the lesson from the New Testament when Judas sold out Jesus for 30 pieces of silver.

How did that work out for history and humanity?

Considering many of these people publicly profess to be God fearing Christians, one would think they would make different decisions in support of common decency.

One would think.


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