The Trump administration declared war on the “terrorist organization” of “antifa” and the supposed “networks” associated with it last week. Antifa is not so much a vast national conspiracy as it is simply an abbreviation for anti-fascism – but don’t point out that anti-anti-fascism looks a lot like fascism. That would make you antifa, too. […]
Jimmy Kimmel made a triumphant return to television (in most, but not all, cities) on Tuesday night, devoting his monologue to his short but shocking removal from the air. The comedian tackled the uproar head-on, directly naming Brendan Carr, the Federal Communications Commission Chair who had instigated Kimmel’s censorship. In a later segment, he took […]
Hello and welcome to Regulator. According to a rough transcript of Charlie Kirk’s memorial service, the word “martyr” was uttered less than 10 times. But to the 90,000-plus people watching live in Glendale, Arizona, and the 100 million who reportedly watched the livestream, it didn’t have to be stated so explicitly. As every speaker at […]
Disney is bringing back Jimmy Kimmel’s late-night talk show, but a notable chunk of ABC affiliates won’t air the new episodes. Nexstar and Sinclair Broadcasting — which control about one quarter of local ABC stations, according to Deadline — announced that they will continue to preempt Jimmy Kimmel Live! and air different programming in that […]
The Trump administration’s crackdown on perceived left-wing threats following the death of Charlie Kirk continued on Monday evening, with Donald Trump announcing an executive order titled “Designating Antifa as a Domestic Terrorist Organization.” The order directs federal departments and agencies to “investigate, disrupt, and dismantle any and all illegal operations — especially those involving terrorist […]
Jimmy Kimmel’s late-night talk show is returning on Tuesday after Disney pulled it off the air over comments made about the assassination of Charlie Kirk. In a statement on Monday, Disney said it planned to resume production after having “thoughtful conversations” with Kimmel. “Last Wednesday, we made the decision to suspend production on the show […]
Barely over a week after right-wing activist Charlie Kirk’s public killing at a Utah campus, speech attacks in the name of the self-proclaimed free speech advocate are piling up. Law enforcement officials have custody of suspected shooter Tyler Robinson, a 22-year-old from Utah who prosecutors allege was in a relationship with a transgender woman and […]
Yesterday, Disney-owned ABC suspended Jimmy Kimmel Live “indefinitely” for a comment Kimmel made about the response to Charlie Kirk’s death. The response from Republican commentators has been predictably gleeful. They’ve positioned the suspension as a reversal of “cancel culture,” a “deplatforming” that’s simply fair retaliation for antagonizing them. “Jimmy Kimmel does have Free Speech, he […]
Disney gave in to threats from FCC chairman and occasional speech regulator Brendan Carr this evening, announcing that Jimmy Kimmel Live! would be pulled off the air “indefinitely.” Carr was unhappy that Kimmel characterized the alleged shooter of Charlie Kirk as “anything other than” a member of the “MAGA gang” and threatened to pull broadcast […]
Holding a principled commitment to the First Amendment is a challenge. Even so, it’s been bemusing to watch the Republican Party – which has spent years demanding legal cover for sending spam emails, sabotaging public health, and avoiding social media moderation – launch a full-scale broadside against it over the past week. Authorities are just […]