Here's the Scoop – Jimmy Kimmel Benched; Shutdown Showdown on the Hill

Date: September 18, 2025
Host: Yasmin Vossoughian (NBC News)
Guests: Brian Steinberg (Variety), Corey Brettschneider (Brown University), Ryan Nobles (NBC News)

Episode Overview

This episode dives into two major stories:

1. The indefinite suspension of Jimmy Kimmel's late-night show by ABC/Disney, amid political fallout and debates on free speech rights after his comments on the death of conservative activist Charlie Kirk.
2. Impending government shutdown debates in Congress, with tensions over spending bills, bipartisan gridlock, and vaccine policy controversies.

The episode features reporting and analysis from TV and media experts, constitutional scholars, and Capitol Hill correspondents, highlighting free speech concerns, media economics, political polarization, and the real-world consequences of D.C.-level gridlock.

Main Story 1: Jimmy Kimmel Suspended—Free Speech and Political Pressure

The Incident and Immediate Fallout

• Yasmin Vossoughian [00:24]: Sets the stage, noting widespread outrage over ABC’s decision to suspend Kimmel. She cites voices ranging from President Obama to comedian Marc Maron, and immediately frames the debate as a free speech issue.
  • Quote: “Comedian Marc Maron is one of the many voices calling the move a violation of free speech.”
• Ryan Nobles [00:45]: “Look, if they can come for Kimmel, they can come for anybody. This is happening.”
• Jimmy Kimmel’s Actions: Expressed condolences for Kirk’s family on social media and used his monologue to criticize Republican responses to the tragedy [00:49–01:15].
  • Kimmel: “...all the children, parents and innocents who fall victim to senseless gun violence.” [Instagram message]
• Political Retaliation:
  • FCC Chair Brendan Carr (Trump appointee) threatens “action” against ABC on a conservative podcast [01:44].
    • Quote (Carr): “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.” [01:44]
• Industry Backdrop [01:58]: Nexstar, a major ABC affiliate owner, was seeking FCC approval for a $6.2B acquisition and was reportedly involved in the decision to pull Kimmel.

Media Analysis with Brian Steinberg (Variety)

• Will Kimmel Return?
  • Steinberg reports a Disney memo to affiliates says ‘Family Feud’ will air “for the foreseeable future,” but believes Disney would prefer to have Kimmel back [02:46].
    • Quote (Steinberg): “This is a guy, keep in mind, he’s been on the air for more than 20 years ... it’d be surprising to me if they had to cancel him ... without some more discussion.” [02:46]
• Politics or Economics?
  • Political pressure is a key factor, with Steinberg highlighting direct White House applause for Kimmel’s suspension and a general media trend of “backing down” to political demands [03:32].
    • Quote: “There’s a lot of worry about can the White House and Trump administration use their desires and leverage to make the media act as they see fit and stop holding power to account...” [03:32]
  • But economics matter too—late-night ratings are down, and shows fragment audiences, making them more vulnerable [04:30].
    • Quote: “These shows ... have over the years with Letterman leaving ... much more fragmented ... What drives pass along ... is being hot, outrageousness, drama, controversy.”
• Industry Mood: Steinberg says worry prevails—with anxiety over economic survival vs. support for artists and free speech [05:27].
  • Quote: “I think people are worried that these big companies ... are kowtowing because of economic concerns. At the same time, these companies need to continue on and exist ... if they can’t make their money, nothing will be on their platforms.”

Constitutional and Free Speech Expert Analysis (Corey Brettschneider)

• FCC Chair’s Legal Power [06:12]:
  • Brettschneider: “Their licenses are in his hands ... [but] no government official has the ability to shut down speech ... to target and punish viewpoints ...” [06:19, 06:35]
• First Amendment Perspective [07:22]:
  • The wide breadth of U.S. free speech protections, even beyond what many realize.
    • “Even the most extreme forms of speech are protected ... It’s not a hard case when a government is coming in and saying ... satire, criticizing the president, is going to be shut down. There’s no world in which that’s not protected speech.” [07:22]
  • Notable contrast: U.S. protects things other democracies prohibit (e.g., Holocaust denial, cross burning) [07:22].
• Pam Bondi’s “Hate Speech” Reasoning [09:10]:
  • Brettschneider: “We don’t have hate speech laws ... we have a broad protection of all viewpoints, short of a couple of very narrow exceptions.” [09:37]
  • “It was a cringe inducing moment because she was showing a total lack of understanding of how our Constitution works.” [09:37]
• Is Free Speech Under Attack?
  • “There is no question ... the President of the United States, in threatening the so-called radical left ... are an attack on democracy itself and an abandonment of the longstanding understanding of … the First Amendment.” [10:20]
  • Warns of a parallel to the “shameful” Red Scare period and fears a regression.

Main Story 2: Shutdown Showdown on Capitol Hill

Status Update & Key Dynamics

• Government Funding Deadlines:
  • The September 30 deadline approaches, but Democrats and Republicans are far apart on spending bills [12:20].
  • Democrats propose a short-term spending bill but are “miles apart” from Republicans.
• CDC/Vaccine Policy Controversy:
  • Former CDC head Susan Menares testified, criticizing RFK Jr.’s influence on vaccine policy [13:11].
  • Concerns over possible changes to hepatitis B vaccine recommendations and public health fallout.

Congressional Perspectives – Ryan Nobles (NBC News)

• Partisan Gridlock and Shutdown Risks:
  • Nobles cautious: “I’m always reluctant to say the government’s gonna shut down because Congress loves a deadline ... but this does have all the markings ... all the models show this hurricane coming ashore.” [14:32]
  • Ongoing battle between Republican demands for a “clean CR” (continuing resolution) and Democrats’ refusal to accept the current GOP version. Bipartisan support is required to pass anything in the Senate (needs 60 votes).
  • Quote: “Republicans are not in favor of extending [ACA subsidies] but ... there are gonna be millions of Americans that are just straight up gonna lose their health. So ... could that be the carrot?” [16:08]
• Procedural Warfare in the Senate:
  • Increasing use of procedural tactics by both sides is “grinding [nominee confirmation] process to a halt.” [17:21]
  • New GOP plan: batch confirm up to 15 nominees at a time, a change with “long term consequences.” [17:21]
    • “Now ... instead of one person at a time ... 15 can go through at a time ... That’s a huge difference than the way this is done before.” [17:21]

Other Headlines (Rapid-Fire Update)

[19:01–23:14]

• Trump Meets UK Prime Minister Keir Starmer:
  • Signs “Tech Prosperity Deal” ($200 billion U.S. investment in UK); discusses Gaza, Ukraine, UK’s recognition of Palestinian state.
  • Trump: “We have to remember October 7th, one of the worst, most violent days in the history of the world ... I wish I didn’t see [the tapes] actually, but I got to see them and I want an end.” [19:40]
• Federal Reserve Shake-Up:
  • Trump pushes Supreme Court to remove Lisa Cook from Fed Board; Cook refuses to step down.
• Student Activism/Deportation:
  • Columbia graduate Mahmoud Khalil ordered deported for omissions on his green card application, not explicitly for activism; lawyers will appeal.
• CDC Advisory Panel:
  • ACIP meets to review vaccine recommendations; concerns over appointee backgrounds and new vaccine schedule changes.
• Pennsylvania Police Shooting:
  • Three officers killed, two wounded. State/federal support pledged.
• World Stone Skimming Cheating Scandal:
  • American John Jennings wins after disqualifications; first American champion.

Notable Quotes & Moments

• Ryan Nobles [00:45]: “If they can come for Kimmel, they can come for anybody.”
• FCC Chair Brendan Carr [01:44]: “We can do this the easy way or the hard way ... take action, frankly, on Kimmel or ... additional work for the FCC ahead.”
• Brian Steinberg [03:32]: “Can the White House and Trump administration use their desires and leverage to make the media act as they see fit ... stop holding power to account?”
• Corey Brettschneider [07:22]: “It’s not a hard case when a government is coming in and saying, not even in those extremes, but satire, criticizing the president is going to be shut down. There’s no world in which that’s not protected speech.”
• Corey Brettschneider [09:37]: “It was a cringe inducing moment ... the chief law enforcement officer ... doesn’t know Constitutional Law 101.”
• Ryan Nobles [14:32]: “All the models show this hurricane [shutdown] coming ashore.”

Important Timestamps

• Jimmy Kimmel/Free Speech Story Begins: [00:24]
• Political Pressure & FCC Threat: [01:44]
• Media Industry Analysis (Brian Steinberg): [02:26–05:46]
• Constitutional Expert Analysis (Corey Brettschneider): [05:50–11:01]
• Government Shutdown Showdown Begins: [12:20]
• CDC/Vaccine Policy Testimony: [13:02–14:22]
• Threat of Government Shutdown: [14:22–17:00]
• Senate Procedural Changes: [17:20]
• Headline Rundown: [19:01–23:14]

Summary

This fast-paced episode captures a moment of sharp tension over the intersections of politics, media, and free speech, as one of America’s longest-running late-night hosts is benched amidst political threats and the specter of government pressure. It juxtaposes these concerns with the more procedural but no less consequential drama of congressional gridlock, a looming shutdown, and key public health policy debates—distilling the news into digestible, insightful analysis.