Podcast Summary: Bulwark Takes – "BREAKING: Jimmy Kimmel Pulled OFF THE AIR!"
Date: September 18, 2025
Hosts: Sam Stein (Managing Editor, The Bulwark), Tim Miller (The Bulwark)
Overview
This emergency episode of Bulwark Takes addresses the abrupt removal of late-night host Jimmy Kimmel from the airwaves, reportedly at the urging of government officials and through coordinated pressure on Disney and ABC's affiliates. Sam Stein and Tim Miller break down the facts, discuss the implications for free speech and media independence, and respond to political reactions and online discourse. The tone is grave, sardonic, and urgent.
Key Discussion Points and Insights
1. Breaking News: Kimmel's Removal and Its Origins
[01:29]
- Announcement: Sam Stein opens with the headline—Jimmy Kimmel has been suspended indefinitely from his late-night show on ABC, likely spelling the end of the program.
- Background: What began as a campaign by FCC Chair Brendan Carr, pressuring broadcasters, escalated into Nexstar (a major local license holder) and then Disney removing Kimmel after a joke about Charlie Kirk’s death.
Quote:
"And we are in a situation now where basically one of the more prominent late night hosts and entertainers and comedians in the country has been, I mean, taken off the air. It's just, it is what it is." —Sam Stein [01:15]
2. What Did Kimmel Actually Say?
[03:39], [03:59], [04:44]
- The Joke: The hosts play the clip that triggered the controversy. Kimmel joked about MAGA's response to Charlie Kirk's killer, and satirized political finger-pointing and President Trump's reaction to Kirk’s death.
- Context: The joke was delivered before all facts about the perpetrator's motives were released, raising the question of context versus intent.
Quote:
"This is not how an adult grieves the murderer of someone he called a friend. This is how a four year old mourns a goldfish." —Jimmy Kimmel's aired monologue [04:44]
3. Parsing the Controversy: Fact, Joke, or Pretext?
[05:00–07:27]
- Accuracy vs. Outrage: The panel clarifies new facts: the killer was likely motivated by anti-trans rhetoric, not MAGA allegiance, making Kimmel's joke potentially imprecise.
- But— both hosts argue the essence of Kimmel’s bit was to satirize political exploitation, not to misinform or cheer violence.
Quote:
"This is a joke. But kind of the joke is... about how MAGA is out there being super desperate to, you know, try to use this to their political advantage." —Tim Miller [05:50]
4. The Real Issue: Government Pressure on Speech
[02:48],[03:00], [12:05–13:17]
- Bulwark’s Stance: Both hosts hammer the fundamental problem: Federal officials (Carr and Trump) explicitly pressured broadcasters toward punitive action—in their view, a grave threat to free expression and a dangerous precedent in American media.
- The "Path": Brendan Carr, FCC chair, mapped out—on Benny Johnson’s show—step by step how Kimmel would be removed, which then unfolded exactly as described.
Quotes:
"In this case, what matters is the fact that... the federal government threatened and pressured private companies to silence someone's speech. And they did." —Tim Miller [02:48]
"I mean, we have the video, so let's play the video of [Brendan Carr] on Benny Johnson." —Sam Stein [11:07]
5. Pretext, Hypocrisy, and American Soft Authoritarianism
[09:43–13:17]
- Pretextual Justification: The hosts lampoon how "accuracy", "offensive content", or "misinformation" are used as rationales—but deem these to be smokescreens for raw political retribution.
- Trump's Role: Trump had publicly targeted Kimmel and Colbert for months; the FCC and local affiliates acted in alignment.
Quote:
"It happened in three hours. Like Brendan Carr said this, Nextar pulled it... and then Disney, you know, basically folded him." —Tim Miller [12:48]
Quote:
"They're not shamable by pointing at the hypocrisy. And in fact, it's much worse because... it's the sanctioned campaign targeting giant corporations by the president and his henchmen at the fcc." —Sam Stein [16:45]
6. Dissecting Conservative Defenses
[14:13–16:22]
- Conservative Justifications: Many right-leaning voices argue this isn’t a free speech issue, but one of factual accuracy or broadcast standards.
- Bulwark Pushback: The hosts point out these same critics would be outraged if a Biden FCC removed right-wing hosts for lies about the 2020 election.
Quote:
"If Joe Biden's FCC had kicked everybody off the air who had said that Donald Trump won the 2020 election when he lost it, fox wouldn't have enough bodies to go on TV..." —Tim Miller [14:36]
7. Broader Implications & Closing Thoughts
[16:22–17:17], [18:31–19:54]
- Normalization of Retaliatory Silencing: There is no “limiting principle”—only power politics, say the hosts. They view the episode as movement towards a more authoritarian media landscape.
- Media Independence: The Bulwark pitches itself as a rare outlet with true editorial independence remaining.
Quote:
"That's what soft fascism is like. They want to inflict that. That punishment on out groups and on foes. And they're doing it right now... It's, it's straight out of an authoritarian playbook." —Tim Miller [17:26–18:31]
8. Closing Banter & Predictions
[20:05]
- Future of the Slot: The hosts jokingly speculate Disney will either "shut it down" or, as a joke, replace Kimmel with Mike Lindell.
Quote:
"Who replaces Kimmel? My, my polymarket bet is on Mike Lindell. I got long shot odds." —Sam Stein [20:05]
Notable Quotes & Memorable Moments
- “The facts kind of don't matter... speech was silenced by threats from the government. And in that construct, like, if you're a person that believes in free speech, like we do here at the Bulwark, like, you are against that, even if the speech was wrong or noxious or whatever.” —Tim Miller [02:30]
- “If he was irresponsible, this would still be bad. But he wasn't right. He was responsible. And he told the joke that was like a little kind of borderline, like, that's. That's it.” —Tim Miller [09:24]
- "It's about power politics all the way down. And that's really what this is." —Tim Miller, referencing JVL's newsletter [15:53]
Important Timestamps
- [01:29] – Breaking news and summary of how Kimmel was taken off air.
- [03:59] – Kimmel's offending joke played and analyzed.
- [04:44] – Satirical monologue on public reaction and presidential response.
- [05:50] – Debate over the factual basis and intent of Kimmel’s joke.
- [11:07] – Brendan Carr's interview outlining the process that was immediately followed by broadcasters.
- [13:17] – Online conservative reaction dissected and critiqued.
- [17:17] – Broader threat to free speech and normalization of government pressure.
- [20:05] – Final predictions on the fate of the time slot (with comic relief).
Tone and Style Notes
The conversation is urgent, reflective, and at times laced with dark humor. The hosts speak in a conversational, sometimes sardonic tone, but their concern over threats to free speech and press independence is palpable. Their language alternates between analytic and exasperated, frequently lampooning the hypocrisy and rationale of those justifying Kimmel’s removal.
Conclusion
This episode of Bulwark Takes frames Kimmel’s ouster as a dangerous moment for American media and free speech, arguing that the cause and justification were pretextual and rooted in government pressure, rather than journalistic standards or factual errors. The hosts highlight the systemic consequence for media independence and connect the episode to broader political trends, warning listeners about escalating soft authoritarianism.