Bill O’Reilly’s No Spin News and Analysis

Episode: Jimmy Kimmel Fired!, Bernie Goldberg on Media Censorship & the Nation Prepares for Charlie Kirk’s Funeral
Date: September 19, 2025

Episode Overview

In this episode, Bill O’Reilly dives into the high-profile firing of late-night host Jimmy Kimmel, exploring the media landscape, allegations of censorship, and the consequences of partisan programming. O’Reilly brings in veteran media commentator Bernard Goldberg to discuss free speech, the role of government regulation, and the broader implications for American television. The episode also touches on the preparations for Charlie Kirk’s funeral and President Trump’s announcement regarding Antifa.

Main Themes & Purpose

• Jimmy Kimmel’s Dismissal: Analysis of the events leading to Kimmel's firing and its ramifications for media partisanship.
• Media Censorship: Examination of the systematic exclusion of conservative voices on major networks.
• Government Influence: Discussion of FCC's role and potential overreach in content regulation.
• Marketplace vs. Regulation: Debate on whether audience sentiment or government should drive media accountability.
• Charlie Kirk’s Funeral: Details on the event and related political announcements.

Key Discussion Points & Insights

1. Bill O’Reilly Reflects on Success and Introduces Kimmel Story (01:13–04:14)

• O’Reilly celebrates his book “Confronting Evil” reaching #1 on the New York Times bestseller list for the 20th time.
  • “Twenty New York Times number one. Nonfiction. Its bestsellers is a world record. It will never be broken, not in this day and age.” (01:33)
• Announces Jimmy Kimmel’s firing as the subject of the Talking Points Memo.

2. Why Jimmy Kimmel Was Fired (04:01–16:03)

• O’Reilly attributes Kimmel's firing to a confluence of inappropriate remarks about the Charlie Kirk assassination and prolonged, vitriolic anti-Trump content.
  • Plays a contentious clip from Kimmel:
    • “He 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…” (04:01)
• Explains that major ABC affiliates (not Disney-owned) revolted, pressuring ABC and Disney to intervene before a mass exodus of stations.
  • “Disney panicked…because they were going to lose 30, 40 affiliates were going to fire Kimmel themselves. So Disney says, we’ll fire him too. That’s corporate America. That’s what corporate America does. Always folds, always 100% of the time." (06:29)
• O’Reilly explains the licensing context: network television must comply with FCC standards as airwaves are public, unlike cable/social media.

3. Media Blackout of Conservative Voices (04:14–16:03)

• O’Reilly decries the “total blackout of traditional conservative voices on ABC, NBC, CBS…That is the story. That’s Putin stuff. That’s China's stuff. Totalitarian stuff. You cannot be heard if you don’t toe the liberal line.” (04:41)
• Critiques the selective platforming of guests, citing The View and Colbert only hosting anti-Trump or moderate (never pro-Trump) conservatives.
• Highlights Kimmel’s pre-Trump pleasantness with a 2015 humorous interaction about Hitler, emphasizing Kimmel’s personality before becoming “consumed by hatred.”

4. Bernard Goldberg’s Take: Free Speech and Corporate Media (15:45–28:23)

• Notable Exchange:
  • O’Reilly: “The reason he got fired was a rebellion in the media.” (16:03)
  • Goldberg: “Jimmy Kimmel doesn’t have any First Amendment right, any free speech right to say what he wants. Only the government…ABC Disney could have fired Jimmy Kimmel because they didn’t like the color of his tie or because they didn’t like what he said about the quote unquote MAGA gang.” (21:08)
• Goldberg warns conservatives not to celebrate Kimmel’s demise, as government coercion sets a troubling precedent:
  • “If Brendan Carr [FCC] says, you know, we could do this the easy way or the hard way...that’s a kind of coercion that tiptoes into First Amendment issues.” (21:55)
  • “Conservatives, Trump, people who like Donald Trump should not be celebrating this, because sooner or later there’s going to be a Democratic president...and we don’t want that person saying, I don’t like what they’re saying about me...and I’m going to shut it down.” (22:38)
• O’Reilly calls for Supreme Court review, tying ongoing media exclusion of conservatives to “what Beijing and Moscow are doing right now.” (25:56)
• Goldberg distinguishes between legality and ethics: “It’s wrong to keep people…It’s wrong to say we don’t want conservative voices because we don’t like conservative voices. It’s wrong when they do it in news and entertainment. But it may not be illegal.” (25:07)

5. Marketplace vs. Regulation: Who Decides? (27:22–28:23)

• O’Reilly: “A rebellion now, a television rebellion, because the 77 million people who voted for Donald Trump are walking away from the networks…the ratings are abysmal.” (27:22)
• Goldberg: “Let the marketplace rather than the FCC…let the American people and capitalism and the marketplace use its clout to take care of stuff like this.” (27:48)

6. Charlie Kirk’s Funeral and Political Announcements (28:23–31:22)

• Provides details for Charlie Kirk’s funeral: to be held at State Farm Stadium in Glendale, AZ, with high-profile speakers including President Trump and Secretary of State RFK Jr.
  • “It’ll be interesting. It’ll be on all the cables, but not the networks, two of them anyway, because of NFL football.” (28:24)
• Notes President Trump’s declaration that ANTIFA will be designated a “major terrorist organization,” while questioning efficacy due to Antifa’s decentralized nature.
  • “I’d be very curious to see who’s funding Antifa...But I don’t believe there’s going to be, you know, drones dropped on Antifa like the drug cartels…” (29:53)

7. On Confronting Evil and O’Reilly’s Journalistic Responsibility (36:04–End)

• O’Reilly discusses his evolving role from journalist to civic participant, citing advisory relationships with multiple presidents.
  • “Four presidents have asked me my opinion on matters. Clinton, Bush, the younger, Obama and Trump. Of those four, I know Donald Trump better than any...The president trusts me. He knows I’m not going to kiss his butt or mislead him or I don’t want anything from him.” (36:30)
• Expresses gratitude for book’s success and looks to adapt “Confronting Evil” for film, signaling ongoing relevance and ambition in shaping public discourse.

Notable Quotes & Memorable Moments

• “Jimmy Kimmel became obsessed with Donald Trump. Donald Trump destroyed Jimmy Kimmel’s career. He may resurrect somewhere else, but to lose that purge, to lose that job, is a big one.”
  — Bill O’Reilly (03:14)

• “You can’t say on your program that MAGA people are somewhat responsible for the assassination of Charlie Kirk. That’s defamatory. It’s a lie. It’s not even close to being funny.”
  — Bill O’Reilly (07:20)

• “That is the story. That’s Putin stuff. That’s China’s stuff. Totalitarian stuff. You cannot be heard if you don’t toe the liberal line.”
  — Bill O’Reilly (04:41)

• “Jimmy Kimmel doesn’t have any First Amendment right, any free speech right to say what he wants. Only the government can tell you…”
  — Bernard Goldberg (21:08)

• “Conservatives, Trump, people who like Donald Trump should not be celebrating this, because sooner or later there’s going to be a Democratic president…and we don’t want that person saying, I don’t like what they’re saying about me…”
  — Bernard Goldberg (22:38)

• “If you’re licensed by the FCC you can’t run a propaganda channel in this country. You can’t. You’ll lose your license.”
  — Bill O’Reilly (24:27)

• “Let people say, you know, I heard Jimmy Kimmel say something the other night that I found offensive. I’m not tuning into that crap anymore. Let the marketplace rather than the FCC…take care of stuff like this.”
  — Bernard Goldberg (27:48)

Timestamps for Important Segments

| Segment | Timestamps | |-------------------------------------------|--------------| | O’Reilly’s best-seller announcement | 01:13–02:12 | | Why Jimmy Kimmel got fired | 03:01–06:40 | | Late-night TV’s political drift | 04:14–07:56 | | FCC licensing and network responsibilities| 07:58–12:09 | | O’Reilly’s recollections of Kimmel pre-Trump| 12:19–14:00 | | President Trump and Bernard Goldberg react| 15:45–16:03 | | Goldberg on free speech and First Amendment| 21:08–23:29 | | Marketplace vs. Regulation debate | 27:22–28:23 | | Details on Charlie Kirk’s funeral | 28:23–29:56 | | O’Reilly on the evolution of his career | 36:04–End |

Tone and Language

The tone is combative, skeptical, and unapologetically conservative, with O’Reilly’s signature skepticism toward “liberal media” and government overreach. O’Reilly uses anecdote, directness, and a degree of self-congratulation, while Goldberg tempers the conversation with legal caution and warnings against celebrating political downfalls.

Summary Takeaways

• Kimmel’s firing is framed as a response not only to a specific inflammatory remark but the longer-term exclusion of dissenting voices on mainstream TV—a phenomenon both O’Reilly and Goldberg consider alarming.
• Censorship and government coercion is a double-edged sword, potentially dangerous to any side depending on who holds power.
• Audience disengagement ('the marketplace') may ultimately be the most effective check on media excesses, suggesting the networks’ struggles reflect public dissatisfaction.
• Charlie Kirk’s funeral will be a major televised event, underlining political polarization and the symbolic weight of recent events.
• O’Reilly’s ongoing relevance is highlighted, positioning himself as both commentator and occasional participant in national policy debates.

For listeners new to the show, this episode provides an in-depth exploration of the intersection of media, politics, and regulation, as told through the high-profile story of Jimmy Kimmel’s firing, with broader reflection on the state of free speech and ideological representation in American television.