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Poll shows Trump’s crusade against comedians is no laughing matter [1]
['Daily Kos Staff']
Date: 2025-09-19
President Donald Trump has been taking a victory lap since ABC announced the indefinite suspension of late-night host Jimmy Kimmel following his comments about the GOP exploiting the killing of right-wing activist Charlie Kirk.
“Congratulations to ABC for finally having the courage to do what had to be done,” Trump wrote on Truth Social. “Kimmel has ZERO talent, and worse ratings than even Colbert, if that’s possible.”
But new polling released Friday suggests that the Kimmel brouhaha could actually backfire against Trump and Republicans, who are dancing on Kimmel’s metaphorical grave—even saying that the Trump administration’s push for his ouster didn’t violate his right to free speech.
A cartoon by Clay Jones.
A YouGov poll found that 50% of adults disapprove of ABC's decision to remove Kimmel's show from the air in response to threats from Federal Communications Commission Director Brendan Carr. Meanwhile, just 35% approve of ABC’s move.
YouGov also asked respondents if they believe that Carr’s remarks are acceptable or not.
“But frankly, when you see stuff like this, I mean, look, we can do this the easy way or the hard way. These companies can find ways to change conduct and take action, frankly, on Kimmel or, you know, there’s going to be additional work for the FCC ahead,” Carr said.
Shortly after, ABC announced Kimmel's indefinite suspension.
Surprise! Respondents thought Carr crossed the line.
According to the poll, 43% of adults said that Carr's comments were unacceptable, while just 26% thought they were acceptable.
What’s more, the GOP’s efforts to paint Kimmel’s comments as out of line are also not working.
Here’s what Kimmel actually said:
We hit some new lows over the weekend with the MAGA gang trying to characterize this kid who killed Charlie Kirk as anything other than one of them.
What Kimmel said is unequivocally true, as Trump, Republicans, and MAGA influencers have all worked overtime to assign blame for Kirk’s murder to the “left” to gin up outrage against Democrats writ large.
Since Kimmel's ouster, Democrats and a handful of Republicans have condemned the Trump administration's push to squelch free speech. Even odious GOP Sen. Ted Cruz of Texas said that the FCC shouldn't be dictating what can and cannot be said on television.
“That’s right out of ‘Goodfellas,’" Cruz said on his podcast. "We shouldn't be threatening government power to force him off air. That's a real mistake.”
Kimmel might be off the air for now, but if Republicans continue to go after free speech, it could hurt them for years to come.
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