Jimmy Kimmel Disappointed in People on the Right for Not Defending Colbert From Trump
“I thought one of the founding principles of this country was free speech. But people don’t seem to care about protecting it unless you agree with them.”
Jimmy Kimmel, the host of Jimmy Kimmel Live! on ABC, is disappointed with people on the right for not rallying around CBS late-night host Stephen Colbert in the face of the cancellation of The Late Show.
Kimmel thinks this is a free speech issue (it isn’t) and doesn’t believe that Colbert’s show was costing CBS millions of dollars every year.
Even if you accept Kimmel’s completely incorrect framing of the issue, why would people on the right ever rush to Colbert’s aid? Colbert’s entire tenure at The Late Show has been based on being as nasty as possible to Trump, Republicans, and the people who vote for them.
Kimmel made his comments in an interview with Variety:
You’ve shown great camaraderie with the other late-night hosts, especially during the Colbert situation. Talk about those friendships.
We are really close. We became especially close during the strike. We had long, fun conversations about how to handle the situation and decided to do a podcast. Now it’s a text chain — a frequent one. I think we were all shocked and disappointed that this kind of thing is happening in America, and also disappointed that we don’t see more people on the right stepping up and saying, “Hey, this is no good.” Silencing comedians, commentators, whatever you want to call people… I have to say, if Joe Biden had used his muscle to get Sean Hannity kicked off the air, you may be surprised to learn that I would not support that. I would, in fact, support Sean Hannity in that situation, because I thought one of the founding principles of this country was free speech. But people don’t seem to care about protecting it unless you agree with them.
There have been reports that Colbert’s show was losing $40 million a year. What’s your take on that?
I just want to say that the idea that Stephen Colbert‘s show was losing $40 million a year is beyond nonsensical. These alleged insiders who supposedly analyze the budgets of the shows — I don’t know who they are, but I do know they don’t know what they’re talking about. They seem to only be focused on advertising revenue and have completely forgotten about affiliate fees, which number in the hundreds of millions — probably in total billions — and you must allocate a certain percentage of those fees to late-night shows. It really is surprising how little the media seems to know about how the media works. There’s just not a snowball’s chance in hell that that’s anywhere near accurate. Even that — that’s all you need to know. Suddenly he’s losing $40 million a year? I will tell you, the first 10 years I did the show, they claimed we weren’t making any money — and we had five times as many viewers on ABC as we do now. Who knows what’s true? All I know is they keep paying us — and that’s kind of all you need to know.
This news drew some humorous reactions from people on the right.
Oh, this is on the people they openly despise on a nightly basis. It's our fault now. https://t.co/V8pe92zzFj
— Stephen L. Miller (@redsteeze) August 18, 2025
Jimmy Kimmel is dumber than I thought he was https://t.co/ridxsPCvX6
— Katie Pavlich (@KatiePavlich) August 19, 2025
Sean Hannity is most certainly not losing his employer $40 million every year, Jimbo. https://t.co/1pymmeVeoM
— Guy Benson (@guypbenson) August 18, 2025
You don't have the right to practice your free speech on someone else's dime. https://t.co/3XtdX98iCC
— Paula Bolyard (@pbolyard) August 18, 2025
Sean Hannity doesn't lose money for his bosses. https://t.co/gPU4QWosB8
— jimtreacher.substack.com (@jtLOL) August 18, 2025
How dare conservatives not defend Colbert’s right to lose millions insulting them nightly.
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Comments
I’ll defend him. Colbert should be on the air if he loses CBS $100 million a year. Or even loses them billions per year. Because I would love to see CBS go bankrupt.
Colbert had and has free speech. He can say, do, and write anything he wants so long as it is not a crime or a civil tort. What he does not have is “free speech paid for involuntarily by someone else.
His show was losing his network $40 million dollars a year, half of which was his personal salary.. His network had every right to cut his losses as long as the terms of his contract were fulfilled. Colbert still has the right to say as he will subject to the legal limitations above, and to broadcast it if he can find a broadcasting company who will pay for it.
Like most Leftists, Colbert [and apparently Kimmel] believes that not getting what you want at no cost constitutes oppression.
Subotai Bahadur
what a puketard
Kimmel is a certifiable dumb ass, I used to watch late night tv almost religiously. I no longer watch. I don’t watch any TV. The broadcast media has done this to themselves. They can all fail as far as I’m concerned. We as a country would be better off with them.
Okay, I wouldn’t put it past his little brain, but Kimmel couldn’t really believe l’affaire Colbert is a free speech issue. PBS/NPR tried pulling the same stunt over the years as to the defunding of these leftwing mouthpieces. “Yes, you’re against the 1st Amendment along with truth, justice and the American Way if you won’t support our propaganda telling you how much of a shiitte you are.”
https://i.ytimg.com/vi/i9mHyvopUhc/maxresdefault.jpg
Early on in its life, the Free Software Foundation adopted the unofficial slogan, “Free as in free speech — not as in free beer.”
Proggies like Kimmel still haven’t figured out the difference.
The Right knew that Colbert’s cancellation wasn’t an assault on the First Amendment. That’s the eminently simple reason why they didn’t support him when his show was cancelled. He & his show sucked, not enough people were watching, & it was losing money. That’s showbiz, not DJT.
Libtards boo-hooing about “you should support our libels of you because of your principles.”
Here’s Larry Correia’s based take on similar whining.
Fantastic author.
So wait…
Let me get this straight…
I should stand up for one drooling idiot at the insistence of another drooling idiot because the latter drooling idiot thinks the former drooling idiot has a constitutional right to loose buckets of money for his employer?
And I’m supposed to be the fascist?
(bleep) you, Jimmy. You’re a talentless scold that’s not fit to sit in Johnny’s chair.
The level of self-own among these people is amazing.
After declaring it was impossible for Colbert’s show to be losing money because “Who knows what’s true? All I know is they keep paying us — and that’s kind of all you need to know.”
Well, they quit paying Colbert, so that’s kind of all you need to know too.
Overpaid, moronic, unfunny, self-reverential and malignantly narcissistic Dhimmi-crat shill/stenographer defends fellow moronic, unfunny, self-reverential and malignantly narcissistic Dhimmi-crat shill/stenographer.
Kimmel is an idiot who doesn’t even understand his own business. He can’t name one affiliate who will disaffiliate because Colbert is getting canned. That being the case, why should Colbert (or wimpy Jimmy Kimmel for that matter) get a “credit” for affiliate fees? Why would any rational business man give someone “credit” for revenues they don’t generate? Kimmel will drown if he ever forgets himself and tries to drool without a spotter..
We all have freedom of speech but not freedom from consequences.
And here’s a lovely hit piece by John Oliver.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3lzfH86avIc
Oliver is another turd and another reason to give Britain the heave-ho, We have enough homegrown ones without importing additional.
We won’t defend you either, Jimbo.
These are the same people that had no problem with the Biden Administration hunting down J6rs like dogs, for exercising their First Amendment Rights, not to mention how these same people treated the unvaccinated with utter contempt and disgust
Excuse me while I spit and say a few unsavory words in Kimmel’s direction….
The reason he believes this is the government acting against Colbert is that he knows that is what the government did and does when Democrats are in power. It is called projection.
Colbert is a one-trick pony.
And Kimmel is the jackass he rode in on.
I support not silencing Mr colbert. However, I will never support Mr Colbert because he’s my enemy. I’m happy to see him going off the air because his show is garbage. If he wants to finance it himself and take the risk himself, I welcome his ability to do so. He can say whatever the hell he wants.
Liberals live in a fantasy world divorced from reality.
Trump had nothing to do with the loser being fired.
100% of Liberals will spend the rest of their lives absolutely convinced that Trump was the sole reason for his show being cancelled.
It’s impossible to have a rational conversation with them on any topic.
Crying Clown.
Needs a real job.
And if Donald Trump had used his muscle to get Colbert kicked off the air I would not support that either. But that’s not what happened. I know that’s the left’s narrative about it, but it has no foundation at all. It’s just wild speculation; with exactly as much foundation, I could claim the real reason Colbert was canceled is that he raped a CBS executive, and the only reason he wasn’t fired immediately is that they’re trying to hush it up. Yeah, it makes no sense, but neither does their story.
Why would I do that? Late night talk shows have denigrated and castigated the Right as a punchline for years. I’m not defending Colbert for punching me metaphorically in the face because of my politics.
I simply do not watch.
The only good thing I will say about Colbert was his tribute to Gary Gygax when he died.
They paid him millions AND fired Colbert –just how much does Trump have on CBS?
Of course you’re promoting the Dem narrative that Trump was behind the cancellation.
You’re next ahole.
🤣🤣🤣 Kimmel finally made me laugh!
Dip💩.