John Oliver used Sunday’s Last Week Tonight to deliver a stinging rebuke to ABC and its parent company Disney over the suspension of Jimmy Kimmel Live!—urging CEO Bob Iger to stand up to political pressure and reinstate Kimmel.
Oliver devoted his main story to Kimmel’s suspension, describing it as a “turning point” for free expression on broadcast television. “If the government can force a network to pull a late-night show off the air—and do so in plain view—it can do a lot worse,” he told viewers.
He said the controversy stemmed from “a laughably weak pretext”—a remark in Kimmel’s monologue about “the MAGA gang” and its reaction to emerging details about Charlie Kirk’s alleged killer. Kimmel “didn’t denigrate Charlie Kirk or make light of his killing,” Oliver said, but pointed out that “many on the right seemed desperate to weaponize Kirk’s death—an argument that’s aged pretty well, given, you know, everything that’s happened to Kimmel since.”
Oliver maintained Disney would likely prevail in court if it challenged the FCC’s pressure, citing precedent that government officials cannot coerce private parties to suppress speech. He said continuing to sideline Kimmel would only embolden further attacks, noting Trump’s subsequent social media call for NBC to drop Jimmy Fallon and Seth Meyers.
Addressing Iger directly, Oliver warned: “History’s also going to remember the cowards who definitely knew better but still let things happen—whether for money, convenience, or comfort.” He closed by urging Disney to draw the line now: “When they come to you with stupid, ridiculous demands… instead of rolling over, stand up and use the only phrase that can make a weak bully go away: ‘F*ck you, make me.’”
You practically helped Drumpf back in the White House with your unfounded Biden bashing, Oliver! So shut your fucking mouth up about attacking the cowards who bow down to him! You fucking reaped what you fucking sow, you crooked faced cockswallower!
John Oliver, star of the horrible racist movie “The Love Guru” doesn’t acknowledge that the remark was Kimmel lying about the political leanings of the accused shooter.
Oliver should look to recent history of ABC canning their stars, otherwise, hypocrisy.
“And ABC, to their credit, didn’t waste any time—they canceled her (Roseanne) show today. I’m not a fan of censorship, but this wasn’t about free speech—it was about consequences for saying something vile. You can say what you want, but networks don’t have to pay you to say it. … Actions have consequences, and ABC made the right call.”
— Jimmy Kimmel, May 29, 2018
And once again, Mucky Boy uses Kimmel to try and score points against Oliver! Isn’t he such a fucking pathetic trailer trash retard, peoples?
And now, Mucky Boy will whinesplain with the same old tired talking points he thinks are gotchas, in three…two…one…
brilliantly delivered as usual by John…I only disagree with him, and Cruz , on one thing…that conservatives would have it worse if the shoe was on the other foot…not a chance…first of all, Democrats and liberals support the Constitution far more than cons or magats…secondly, no Dem Pres./FCC Chair combo would ever get into the political mud like right-wingers and pull a show off the air….and cons know this and use it to their advantage…and mainstream media buys into it too…at least they did until now