Lily Huynh/The Cougar
For centuries, comedy has reflected the truth, using laughter to expose hypocrisy and challenge authority.
This tradition continues today through late-night television. Shows like Jimmy Kimmel and Saturday Night Live use humor and commentary to reflect, and sometimes provoke, public opinion.
Recently, the genre has faced criticism. Some late-night shows received backlash, suspensions, or even cancellations due to jokes about people Trump administration and his supporters. Controversies have also led to speculation about outside influence on these decisions.
Silencing that voice doesn’t protect the public; it protects those in power from being challenged.
Fired by corporate squad
Stephen Colbert and Jimmy Kimmel were two of the hosts who were affected. Colbert’s show was reportedly canceled for financial reasons, though the Writers Guild of America speculated that the decision may have been influenced by a bribe connected to the Trump administration.
“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!” said Trump on a Truth Social post.
Evidently, Jimmy Kimmel was next. His show faced suspension following remarks he made about the death of right-wing figure Charlie Kirk. During a segment, Kimmel mocked Trump’s response to the shooting.
“This is not how an adult grieves the murder of someone he calls a friend. This is how a four-year-old mourns a goldfish,” said Kimmel.
The comments drew the attention of Brendan Carr, a Trump-appointed chair of the Federal Communications Commission, who threatened ABC and Disney with regulatory action over the segment.
Following Kimmel’s suspension, other late-night hosts reacted to the controversy. Jon Stewart opened his broadcast with an “administration-compliant” monologue, sarcastically praising Trump before criticizing how the First Amendment has been distorted to appease the president.
Stewart joked that if anyone insulted Trump, “The FCC must be notified to threaten billion-dollar network mergers, pressure affiliates to issue ultimatums or simply revoke broadcast licenses outright.”
Kimmel’s suspension sent a clear message to comedians, journalists and anyone with a platform: if their comments don’t align with the administration’s ideals, there will be consequences. The same pattern was seen with others who were accused of slandering Kirk’s death online.
Campaigns soon emerged to fire regular people, teachers, airline employees and government officials who had participated in online criticism over the incident.
Beyond the screen
When its no longer high-profile comedians being targeted but everyday employees losing their jobs for sharing opinions online, when does it stop being about business decisions and start becoming a threat to free speech?
What’s happening goes beyond canceled shows; it reveals a growing willingness to punish dissent. In a time of political unrest, when loyalty can dictate opportunity, creative freedom is being quietly weakened.
When people lose their livelihoods or are punished for expressing their opinion or joking about a situation, it creates a culture of fear where self-censorship replaces honest dialogue.
This is not just about punishing comedians; when ordinary people are also being targeted, it becomes a threat to free speech. The boundary between accountability and control begins to blur. The ability to speak freely, to criticize, to question, to joke, becomes something granted by power instead of protected from it.
If laughter becomes dangerous, then so does honesty. And when fear replaces humor, it’s not only the ability to joke that is lost, but the ability to think freely.
opinoin@thedailycougar.com
