Kirk & Kimmel

I’ve largely kept my nose out of the situation surrounding Charlie Kirk. It’s not like I haven’t expressed my thoughts, but any statement will get me into trouble. While I recognize that Kirk was an awful human being, I also think the discourse surrounding him has become toxic. Essentially, while I’m disgusted that people are making him into a martyr, I’m equally disgusted that people are overlooking how he died.

Let’s be clear: Charlie Kirk was a bad person. Seriously. The interactions I had with him weren’t direct, but they always smelled of insincerity. This was someone who routinely abused the contemplation emoji to prove non-existent points that could be refuted without much research. He also was a January 6th insurrectionist, and he mocked George Floyd’s murder. Kirk was no different than Candace Owens in many ways, save being a white man who occasionally played nice with Jews and Israel. The latter was something Owens couldn’t even do.

Simultaneously, being shot wasn’t the right approach. Yes, he wouldn’t have batted an eye if someone on the left had been shot. And yes, people on the right, including his widow, have been feasting off of his death. But no, vigilante justice isn’t the answer to combatting his hate. Considering the nature of his death, and how it’s been warped, it’s much more telling of the gun violence issue in American society generally.

The Charlie Kirk situation’s beyond my pay-grade. What isn’t beyond my pay-grade is late night host Jimmy Kimmel’s stance on it. Kimmel’s statement was incredibly milquetoast. He not only didn’t take a side, he also chastised those who did. In particular, he jabbed President Trump’s response, citing that using his death to segue into a different topic was insensitive. That, and clamping down on freedom of speech was wrong. To quote Kimmel directly:

“We had some new lows over the weekend, with the MAGA gang desperately trying to characterize this kid who murdered Charlie Kirk as anything other than one of them, and with everything they can to score political points from it.”

I don’t see how this is worth the backlash from the right, especially since Kimmel was showing more respect for Kirk than most of his allies. He also was right in calling out Trump segueing to talking about a ballroom in The White House. Even if you didn’t like Kirk, using this moment to focus on yourself is childish. A friend of yours died, show some respect! Is that really too much to ask?

Kimmel’s statements received plenty of backlash, including a suspension of his show from ABC. I get why Disney, the parent company, felt like this was the right call; after all, they’re currently in the middle of a mini-merger, and they want the approval of the current FCC. Disney, who’ve gotten in hot water with Trump before, felt pressure to make nice and not ruffle feathers. Even if Trump didn’t directly make a threat, Kimmel’s jab was probably a bit much, so they stopped the leak before the dam burst open. That much I understand.

Nevertheless, it’s frustrating that Disney, who won their fight with Governor DeSantis over the “Don’t Say Gay” bill in Florida, hasn’t shown more backbone. Disney isn’t some smalltime studio. They’re a corporation that’s been around for over a century, and they have a bigger base than the MAGA movement could ever dream of! So while it’s not unexpected for them to follow the money, this is really cowardly. It also reeks of desperation.

Naturally, their decision to fire Kimmel has backfired, accruing financial losses as longtime fans and people on their payroll have shared dissatisfaction. It’s gotten so bad that both Ted Cruz and former Disney CEO Michael Eisner have expressed disapproval. Cruz being anti-Disney on this is already telling, but Eisner? Given how Eisner left Disney on bad terms, that’s saying something! Your move, Bob Iger!

I probably won’t be cancelling Disney+, especially considering what I paid to renew my subscription. Nevertheless, the backlash is warranted. This reminds me of when Disney fired James Gunn over Tweets he’d apologized for years prior, as well as the backlash that resulted there. Ironically, that too happened when Trump was president. It also didn’t last long, as Disney immediately recognized their mistake and quickly made plans to remedy it. It also allowed Gunn to become an employee of Warner Bros. This sort of knee-jerk decision from Disney blew up in their face once before, so you’d think they’d have learned their lesson.

In the meantime, I’m not shocked by the aftermath. Nor do I think it’s unwarranted. Will the proposed boycott of Disney, and the subsequent decline in shares, make them reverse their decision? Considering Disney prides itself on their reputation, probably. At least, I’d hope so. The precedent’s there historically, and Disney knows this.

This is a case of jawboning on the part of Disney. It’s not censorship, as Trump didn’t make the decision for Disney, but it’s pretty close. And yes, jawboning’s a real word. It also is self-explanatory. Look it up.

By Disney jawboning Kimmel, they’ve made this leak into a massive fissure. And it’s entirely deserved. Ignoring how Disney can afford the financial losses, they’ve kowtowed to a politician who has thin skin. Disney can’t and shouldn’t pretend Trump won’t go after them at some point too, as he will. He’s that insecure.

I’m also worried about the state of late night comedy. Trump’s lashed out at corporate media outlets for criticizing him before, and he brought The New York Times to court for shedding light on his behaviour recently. Comedians, particularly political pundits, are supposed to ridicule and keep politicians in-check. It’s important for a healthy democracy, one Trump’s intent on ruining. Besides, who’s to say this won’t happen again?

I’ll end with a point of comparison: in 1985, during President Reagan’s inauguration, several comedians, like Don Rickles and Rodney Dangerfield, were brought in to roast the returning president. Some of their jokes were hard-hitting and personal, touching on Reagan’s stint as governor of California and his time as a Hollywood actor. But while Reagan could’ve been offended, he took it in stride. He was willing to laugh at his own expense, as he knew the importance of comedy. It pains me to praise him, considering how much damage he’d do to The US, but it highlights a stark contrast between Reagan and Trump. And if what happened to Jimmy Kimmel and Charlie Kirk is indication, it shows how far The US has fallen in 40 years. That’s more telling than anything anyone could say politically.