Old School. Biblically Independent.
By Dustin Rowles | News | September 22, 2025
Aside from Sinclair deciding at the last minute not to air the Charlie Kirk special on Friday night in Jimmy Kimmel’s time slot, as originally planned, there hasn’t been much new news about the Jimmy Kimmel situation, aside from an organic campaign to cancel Disney and Hulu subscriptions. Negotiations over how to bring Kimmel back are expected to resume today, but the outcome is unclear. Disney has put itself in a situation where it’s damned if it does and damned if it doesn’t: If they don’t put Kimmel back on the air, they risk continued cancellations and even talent boycotts. Last night, for example, Jewel and Sarah McLachlan canceled their performance promoting Disney’s Lilith Fair documentary.
Of course, if Disney does bring Kimmel back, they’ll likely face blowback from the right and catch hell from the Administration. Still, FCC Chairman Brendan Carr may secretly welcome Kimmel’s reinstatement at this point, as it could ease the terrible press he’s received over the past week, even from many on the right.
On Last Week Tonight, John Oliver — who was a guest on the episode that led to Kimmel’s suspension — ran down the entire ordeal and, as he does so well, provided historical context. It’s not the first time affiliates have pulled programming: In the ’60s, some Southern affiliates refused to air Sesame Street because of its multicultural cast, and many also pulled Ellen after she came out on her sitcom.
All else being equal, financially speaking, Oliver suggested that maybe Bob Iger might — though it’s a stretch — do the right thing, because history will not look kindly on him otherwise.
“One day, the history of the time we’re living through is going to be written, and when it is, I’m not sure even those in this Administration are the ones who are going to come off worse. Don’t get me wrong. They’re going to come off terribly. But history is also going to remember the cowards who definitely knew better but still let things happen—whether it was for money, convenience, or just comfort. If we’ve learned nothing else from this Administration’s second term so far—and I don’t think we have—it’s that giving the bully your lunch money doesn’t make him go away. It just makes him come back hungrier each time.
They are never going to stop. They’ve literally said that openly. At some point, you’re going to have to draw a line. I might argue, why not draw it right here? And when they come to you with stupid, ridiculous demands—picking fights you know you can win in court—instead of rolling over, why not stand up? And use four words they don’t tend to teach you in business school, the only phrase that can genuinely make a weak bully go away: F**k you. Make me.”
It’s worth noting that, whatever else you want to say about The New York Times and The Wall Street Journal, that is precisely what they have done. They have not capitulated. They have not settled these frivolous lawsuits. In fact, a judge threw out the President’s $15 billion lawsuit against the Times last week, and Rupert Murdoch is fighting the Administration over the publication of that bawdy birthday card. It is possible to hit back at the bully, and those two publications have done exactly what Oliver has suggested: Tell the President to make them. It works so well that the Administration is reportedly even including Rupert and Lachlan Murdoch in the deal to take over TikTok. Try it out, Bob Iger.
