With major decisions about the future of Jimmy Kimmel Live! likely looming in the coming days, Kimmel show writer and relative Cousin Sal Iacono dropped a major clue about what might be coming during his regular appearance on Bill Simmons’ popular podcast on Sunday.
“There are a couple bombshells still there,” Sal told Bill, indicating that “the show may not be coming back on the air after ABC indefinitely suspended the program last week.”
Will Jimmy Kimmel Live! return?
Prior to Cousin Sal’s comments on Simmons’ pod, it already seemed unlikely – and now it seems even less so.
The core issue at play is whether Jimmy Kimmel could agree to continue on while “toning down” his rhetoric and comedy with regard to President Trump and/or all things deemed MAGA or conservative or (fill in the blank).
Disney has backed itself into a corner, because the very comments that prompted them to “indefinitely suspend” Jimmy Kimmel Live! are so innocuous and non-threatening. Indeed, at “worst” Kimmel could be accused of a lack of clarity about what he meant in framing the MAGA right’s attempts to distance themselves from Charlie Kirk’s assassin.
Here’s the clip that triggered ABC’s suspension.
For a late-night show that can potentially air up to 200 live episodes per year, agreeing to “move the goal posts” in service of never again offending the likes of MAGA world, Nexstar/TEGNA, the FCC, and the President of the United States seems theoretically possible but not likely.
And especially so considering Jimmy Kimmel’s clear passion for riffing on politics and tweaking the current administration.
Which is the job description of a late-night talk show host.
The Bill Simmons factor
As a huge Bill Simmons fan and knowing Bill and Kimmel’s long friendship, which dates back to Simmons writing for Jimmy Kimmel Live! during its inaugural season in 2003, I was curious how Simmons would react to the news. On last Thursday’s podcast episode, Simmons talked openly about how close he is with Kimmel. He stands with him naturally, and backs him strongly on free speech grounds.
As a longtime Simmons obsessive, I see The Ringer as an important counter-current to the manosphere noise and the many “friendly spaces” for right leaning entertainment and news that dominate attention these days (especially for men). And my ambition is for Pop Thruster to carry on in that tradition as well.
Jimmy Kimmel’s potential next act
I do see a very exciting future for Kimmel in doing whatever he wants if that is in fact the outcome (though there will be a very real impact for the many employees of the show who will lose their jobs). Letterman and Conan and John Oliver and Jon Stewart and Bill Simmons himself represent possible paths for Kimmel.
This video alone – a hilarious “rabbit hole” riff on 5G in which Jimmy “does his own research” – shows that Kimmel is a world class content creator and will find an audience with whatever he ends up doing next:
For more coverage of Jimmy Kimmel’s “indefinite” suspension and the threat to free speech, check out “Jon Stewart and Stephen Colbert’s brilliant one-two punch after Kimmel gets yanked.”