New: Gutfeld Brilliantly Schools Both Jessica Tarlov, S.E. Cupp on Free Speech After Kimmel Suspension
- Independent broadcasters pulled a show over outrageous comments, not government censorship.
- Free speech means you can speak freely, not free from consequences from private employers.
- Greg Gutfeld publicly refuted left-leaning takes that try to turn responsibility into victimhood.
- Charlie Kirk’s death changes the context and responsibility for commentary, and that matters.
Liberal media and Democrats have been embarrassing themselves over ABC’s decision to suspend Jimmy Kimmel indefinitely. They keep trying to frame this as some grand assault by President Donald Trump or the FCC, twisting it into state action when it is not. The reality is blunt and simple: private companies made a call and are facing backlash for Kimmel’s comments.
ABC, Nexstar, and Sinclair all moved because they say Kimmel crossed a line by implying Charlie Kirk’s accused killer was MAGA. Sinclair demanded an apology and even announced plans to air a commemoration for Kirk in Kimmel’s slot. Those are editorial and business decisions, not constitutional violations.
READ MORE: Sinclair Delivers Big Statement on Kimmel Suspension With What They’ll Be Airing in His Slot Instead
Jimmy Kimmel’s Despicable Remarks About Man Accused of Killing Charlie Kirk
There is no constitutional requirement forcing these networks to carry a particular host or opinion. Free speech protects you from the government, not from market consequences or corporate judgments. If a company decides speech is harmful to its brand or viewers, it can act.
Fox’s Greg Gutfeld tore into fellow panelists Jessica Tarlov and S.E. Cupp for missing that distinction. He called out attempts to turn corporate discipline into censorship theater. The segment highlighted a stubborn blind spot among parts of the media elite.
Here’s Fox’s resident liberal, Jessica Tarlov, who wrote on X: “Free speech advocates on the right have a lot of heavy lifting to do.”
No, not really, as Gutfeld explained. He pointed out the simple reality that rights against government overreach do not stop private companies from making editorial decisions.
“Pretty easy lift,” he replied. “You have a right to be wrong. The company you work for has a right to pull you for it. The heavy lifting is on your end or you would have made your case.”
Next up was CNN political commentator S.E. Cupp. Gutfeld dealt with her handily as well. The exchange exposed how quickly some pundits flip from outrage to claims of victimhood.
“This administration is systematically killing free speech, and these capitulating media companies are acting as willing accomplices. Frightening and shameful,” she asserted. That dramatic phrasing ignores the facts on the ground and the context of a real tragedy.
Gutfeld noted Cupp’s blind spot was “so big” in very colorful terms. He reminded viewers that her timing was tone-deaf: she accused an administration of “systematically killing free speech” a week after a leftist allegedly killed Kirk, “a crime Kimmel deliberately and misleadingly blamed on Kirk’s allies and friends.” The contrast couldn’t be starker between anger and accountability.
It wasn’t Jimmy Kimmel who was killed, it was Charlie Kirk. Kimmel is free to spew whatever he wants, but Kirk is gone and cannot answer or defend himself. That loss changes how responsible commentators and networks should behave.
Editor’s Note: The mainstream media continues to deflect, gaslight, spin, and lie about President Trump, his administration, and conservatives.
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