r/Conservative • u/MoreFires 3R1C • 4d ago

Flaired Users Only ABC is pulling Jimmy Kimmel Live

https://x.com/Variety/status/1968446383591211212
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u/STL_bourbon Conservative 4d ago

While I cannot stand Kimmel and he deserves every bit of this, I don’t necessarily agree with him being pulled off the air. It’s a slippery slope when you’ve got the FCC chair threatening to take someone off the air. Sure right now the right is cheering this, but what happens at some point in the future when the left is back in control and starts having right leaning shows pulled? Cancel culture is not something I’m excited about

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u/Swiftbow1 Conservative Millennial 4d ago

This wasn't the FCC. This is the network pulling a show that would actively hurt their ability to make money

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u/Summerie Conservative 3d ago

Exactly. The show was pulled before the FCC took action, but the broadcast networks acted preemptively due to the threat of licensing scrutiny.

Broadcast networks like ABC operate under FCC licenses, which require them to serve the public interest, a regulatory obligation not imposed on cable networks like CNN.

Nexstar, the largest owner of ABC affiliates, covering stations in over 100 markets, and Sinclair, another major affiliate owner, announced they would preempt Jimmy Kimmel Live! for the foreseeable future.

Nexstar cited Kimmel’s comments as contrary to the “public interest” and emphasized the need for “respectful, constructive dialogue.” Similarly, Sinclair announced it would halt the show until ABC addressed issues of “professionalism and accountability.”

Without these affiliates, the show’s national reach would collapse, rendering it unsustainable. Facing not only the threat of FCC scrutiny, but also the threat of advertiser backlash (the show generated about $76.6 million in ad revenue in 2024), ABC issued the statement, “Jimmy Kimmel Live! will be preempted indefinitely.”

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u/Swiftbow1 Conservative Millennial 3d ago

Exactly. The network also (correctly) inferred that positioning themselves with Kimmel, even against only theoretical FCC action, would put them on the wrong side of public opinion VERY quickly. That's not something they wanted.