This Isn't About Jimmy Kimmel, It's About Who Owns and Controls the Information

John Mayer said it best in the second verse of his song, “Waiting on the World to Change.”

Now if we had the power

To bring our neighbors home from war

They would have never missed a Christmas

No more ribbons on their door

But when you trust your television

What you get is what you got

Cause when they own the information, oh

They can bend it all they want

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They Were Waiting

In July 2025 Donald Trump used his Truth Social account to celebrate the cancellation of Stephen Colbert’s show and to take aim at other late night hosts. He wrote, “I absolutely love that Colbert got fired. His talent was even less than his ratings. I hear Jimmy Kimmel is next. Has even less talent than Colbert!” He then turned to Jimmy Fallon and called him the “Moron on NBC who ruined the once great Tonight Show.”

Stephen Colbert’s cancellation landed only days after he called out Paramount’s sixteen million dollar settlement with Donald Trump. Jon Stewart used his Daily Show platform to accuse Paramount of folding under pressure and choosing political safety over free speech.

It all points to the same chain of events. Colbert publicly questioned a settlement with Trump. A multibillion dollar merger between Skydance and Paramount sat in front of regulators handpicked by the president. The payment was made, a deal was made and the network abruptly shut down one of its most prominent critics. Many Americans see those steps lining up like dominoes pushed by the same hand.

Now It’s Jimmy Kimmel

Just a few hours ago, ABC revealed it would remove Jimmy Kimmel’s late night program from its schedule for an open-ended period following remarks he delivered on Monday about the suspect accused of killing conservative activist Charlie Kirk. The network, owned by the Walt Disney Company, made its decision only hours after Federal Communications Commission chairman Brendan Carr publicly attacked Kimmel’s comments and hinted that the agency might review ABC’s broadcast license in response.

The Megaphone of Lies

What’s happening is complete bullsh*t. Why are Americans letting this happen?

This past week Donald Trump and JD Vance each stared straight into every camera and spread lies about who drives political violence in this country. False and inflammatory statements so sweeping and dangerous that Jimmy Kimmel’s monologue felt minor by comparison.

Trump declared, “radical Left political violence has hurt too many innocent people and taken too many lives.” Vance followed by insisting that “the statistics prove political violence is a far left problem” and promised to “crack down on far left groups.”

Elon Musk joined in and tweeted, “The Left is the party of murder.” Attorney General Pam Bondi claimed, “Left wing radicals killed conservative activist Charlie Kirk.” Fox News anchor Sean Hannity told his viewers, “The Left has given us ten non stop years of rage and hatred and vile language and it is undeniable that it is poisoning the minds of many people in our country.”

Every one of these statements is false. I shared facts, statistics and research in my post, “The Truth About Far Right and Far Left Violence.”

These people speak from the highest platforms of government and global media. Their reach dwarfs a single late night broadcast and their lies carry the weight of authority. When the president, senators, cabinet officials, billionaires, and national broadcasters repeat a fiction to millions around the world it shapes reality for voters, fuels anger, and drives dangerous action in a way no comedian on television could ever match.

But it’s not about Kimmel or the others have or will say. It’s about creating a new foundation allowing them to control the message. But first…

The First Amendment Is Your Shield

The First Amendment is supposed to protect speech about public officials and public issues so people can call out those in power without fear of government punishment. That promise weakens when a president places loyal regulators in charge who signal license reviews and investigations.

Networks hear the threat even when no formal order is issued. The pressure alone is enough to push executives to pull a critic off the air to protect profits and licenses. This slow squeeze is playing out while a massive merger between Skydance and Paramount moves through agencies led by Trump’s appointees.

As part of that process Paramount agreed to a sixteen million dollar settlement with Donald Trump and cleared the way for David Ellison to take control of CBS and Paramount Pictures. The fortune behind the Ellison family soared. Free speech does not need a courtroom ruling to die when political power, regulatory leverage, and billion dollar business deals create enough fear to make silence the safer choice.

A Bigger Plan for Control

The fight over several late night talk shows is part of a much larger plan. Trump’s administration is shaping who controls the nation’s media and what Americans hear. His FCC chair uses vague warnings about news distortion to intimidate broadcasters. The White House threatens to challenge licenses of networks that criticize the president. At the same time Trump publicly cheers mergers that place key outlets in the hands of allies.

According to public records, the Skydance takeover of Paramount, which owns CBS, moved forward with Trump’s blessing. David Ellison now controls CBS and Paramount Pictures with the backing of his father Larry Ellison, a longtime Trump donor. Senators have demanded answers about secret side deals and a multimillion dollar settlement between Paramount and Trump during the merger process. Large station groups like Nexstar and Sinclair own hundreds of local affiliates and can drop programs across the country overnight, as they did with Kimmel.

Fox Corporation remains a central hub for Trump loyalists and continues to grow under the Murdoch family. Newsmax, the Daily Wire, and One America News spread administration talking points to millions more. Each deal, each regulatory threat, each affiliate decision tightens the grip.

Lessons From Other Nations

This playbook is familiar to anyone who has watched modern strongmen. Vladimir Putin consolidated Russian television by pressuring oligarchs, seizing independent stations, and steering advertising to loyal outlets until critical voices disappeared.

Viktor Orban in Hungary used loyal businessmen and regulators to buy or shut down independent newspapers and broadcasters until nearly all national media echoed his government.

Recep Tayyip Erdogan in Turkey jailed journalists, revoked licenses, and funneled state bank loans to friendly companies until dissenting outlets collapsed. These leaders did not need to rewrite their constitutions to dominate the press. They used money, licenses, and fear. There are dozens of more examples around the world.

More Than a Late Night Show

This story is not about a celebrity losing a job. It is about whether Americans will keep the right to hear unfiltered information. As John Mayer warns all of us in his song, when government allies buy networks and regulators threaten licenses, the flow of news bends toward those in power.

Children growing up today deserve a future where they can watch, read, and listen to a full range of facts and opinions. They deserve a country where a president cannot decide what jokes are allowed. Every voter should see the Kimmel suspension as a call to action. The First Amendment lives only when people demand that it live.

Mitch Jackson, Esq.

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UPDATE: He’s back!

Last night Kimmel delivered one of the sharpest, most important and unforgettable opening monologues late night television has ever seen. Watch here.

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The grip on our news and information is tightening fast. But when you trust your television, what you get is what you got. Cause when they own the information, oh, they can bend it all they want. Join my newsletter to break through the noise and stay informed before they decide what you are allowed to hear.

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