Podcast Summary: Holmberg’s Morning Sickness — Jimmy Kimmel Pulled Off-Air: Government Hit or Business Move?
Episode Date: September 18, 2025

Main Theme & Purpose

In this episode, John Holmberg and his team (Brady Bogen, Bret Vesely, Dick Toledo) delve into the breaking controversy surrounding Disney’s decision to pull Jimmy Kimmel off the air. The catalyst was Kimmel’s seemingly mild on-air comments about Charlie Kirk’s killer — speculation that made it “feel like a government hit.” The discussion explores freedom of speech, the politicization of comedy, media corporate motivations, FCC intervention, and broader implications for entertainers who stray into contentious politics.

Key Discussion Points & Insights

1. Personal History with Jimmy Kimmel

• Holmberg’s Experience:
  • John shares his early interactions with Kimmel, receiving career advice (“If you have an audience of one, you have an audience” [02:25]), but eventually being gently pushed away as Kimmel rose to stardom, which left Holmberg with a “weird vibe” about their relationship [04:10].
• Quote:
  • “He gave me great advice…Let them fumble the station. You do what you do and do that well.” — John Holmberg [02:00]

2. The Incident: Kimmel’s Comments & Fallout

• Nature of Comments:
  • Kimmel allegedly suggested right-wing ties to Charlie Kirk’s killing. Holmberg notes “He wanted so badly for it to be a guy from the right that shot Charlie Kirk, so his side's off the hook.” [10:10]
• Censorship Response:
  • FCC and affiliate reactions were swift. Disney/ABC’s parent company, under pressure from affiliate owner Nextar, pulled Kimmel indefinitely [06:31].
• Insiders’ Motivation:
  • Affiliates feared fines more than they wished to defend Kimmel, leading to a snap business decision rather than a principled stand for speech [09:54, 11:30].
• Quote:
  • “It kind of is a silencing and in a way I don’t like that. Look, the FCC never once bothered me but I’ve seen them do it to other people and it seems frivolous and almost vengeful.” — John Holmberg [06:32]

3. Comedy, Politics, & Free Speech

• Holmberg’s Take:
  • Although not a Kimmel fan, Holmberg insists comedians shouldn’t require factual accuracy and shouldn’t be career-threatened for provocative jokes [10:30, 13:28].
• On Political Comedy:
  • The crew notes Kimmel’s evolution from comedian to partisan mouthpiece, and how becoming a lightning rod makes you vulnerable to both cultural and business backlash.
• Quote:
  • “If comedians have to be right, if their jokes have to be fact-checked or there’s consequences, that’s going to put walls on the ability to say something.” — John Holmberg [10:30]

4. The Business Behind Corporate Decisions

• Disney’s Calculus:
  • Discussion centers on Disney’s motives: not free speech, but shedding legal/PR risk, especially since late night TV ratings are sliding and Kimmel is less “worth it” [12:03, 13:29, 22:28].
• Risk Aversion:
  • ABC’s quick abandonment of Kimmel is tied to greater concerns—government merger approvals, big business priorities, and wanting no friction with regulators.
• Quote:
  • “ABC is looking...for a company that isn’t going to defend Jimmy if things get sideways because he’s not worth it anymore.” — John Holmberg [11:21]
  • “Disney is not the most up-and-up operation when it comes to that...they don’t want anybody looking into them.” — John [28:24]

5. Double Standards & Political ‘Hit Lists’

• Trump’s Reaction:
  • Ex-President Trump, via social media, takes credit and warns of Jimmy Fallon and Seth Meyers being “next,” raising the specter of a political ‘hit’ list [08:21].
• Precedent & Comparison:
  • The hosts discuss similar past incidents (Howard Stern, Bill Maher, Tucker Carlson, Gina Carano), all showing how media figures across the spectrum have faced firings for provocative speech [17:37, 33:10, 33:54, 33:59].
• Quote:
  • “If they do air the Jimmy Kimmels...they told him he’s still hosting Celebrity Who Wants to Be a Millionaire, he still has his other ABC jobs. Whether he wants them or not is a different story.” — John Holmberg [21:41]

6. Hypocrisy, Selective Censorship, and the FCC

• Emotional vs. Objective Regulation:
  • The hosts lampoon the FCC’s request for apologies, considering it unprofessional for a regulatory body (“That means the FCC’s feelings were hurt and that I don’t like” — John Holmberg [17:48]).
• On Misinformation & Standards:
  • Commentary about double standards (e.g., TV weather forecasters are never penalized for bad predictions; news hosts on left and right survive greater factual lapses), and how the standard seems arbitrarily applied [25:38, 29:11].
• Quote:
  • “You want to talk about misinformation? The FCC doesn’t crash down on the weathermen.” — John Holmberg [25:38]

7. Consequences for All Sides

• Audience/Emailer Questions:
  • Listeners question apparent hypocrisy—why aren’t shows like The View or various news outlets held to this standard?; Is this a trend to crush one side? [13:43, 23:00]
• Slippery Slope Warning:
  • Holmberg warns that if current government and FCC can do this, future ones can flip it on comedians/media on the other side—“the pendulum swings both ways” [29:11, 33:10].
• Quote:
  • “Let’s say in 2028, the Democrats win, and now the new FCC chair looks over at Fox and goes, don't like you. And that's all this takes.” — John Holmberg [29:11]

8. What’s Next for Jimmy Kimmel?

• Likely Path:
  • Consensus that Kimmel is probably done at ABC and will rebound with a podcast or independent platform, referencing Conan O’Brien’s digital success [12:28, 36:00].
• Advice:
  • “If you took me off the air for this…I wouldn’t go back…go get a podcast. And the best thing that could happen to Kimmel right now.” — John Holmberg [35:00]

Notable Quotes & Memorable Moments

• On Freedom of Expression:
  • “Freedom of speech is people saying things you just don’t like to hear. That’s what they’re allowed to do.” — John Holmberg [05:22]
• On Kimmel’s Political Shift:
  • “He got so deep into politics that it became spiteful and almost bitter, weird and strange…and like, it just wasn’t funny to me.” — John Holmberg [05:22]
• Dark Humor Amidst the Controversy:
  • “I wasn’t emailing a lot. It was maybe three, 400 times a day. I don’t know what his problem was. So I stood outside his house for about a month and he had the nerve to call the police.” (joking about being a stalker) — John Holmberg [03:11]
• On ‘Lists’ and Government Overreach:
  • “That means he’s got a list, a hit list that doesn’t look good.” — John Holmberg, on Trump’s remarks [19:47]
• Cautionary Summary:
  • “It has nothing to do with a side. I just feel like this is a dangerous road when you take a stance…because sometimes you’re held accountable for…” — Co-host [31:53]

Timestamps for Key Segments

• Jimmy Kimmel Career Advice & Personal History: [01:49–04:35]
• Kimmel’s Comments/Misinformation Discussion: [05:17–06:32]
• FCC, Affiliate, and Corporate Reactions: [06:32–09:54]
• Freedom of Speech/Comedy vs. Fact: [10:05–11:21]
• Disney’s Business Priorities: [12:03–13:28]
• Comparisons to Other Media Cancellations: [17:37–19:47, 33:10–33:59]
• Email Feedback & Double Standards: [13:43–18:19, 22:06–25:38]
• The Role of the FCC and Future Precedents: [25:38–29:11]
• Concluding Thoughts on Kimmel’s Future: [35:00–36:00]

Overall Tone & Takeaways

• Tone: Casual, witty, pointed; alternates between irreverence and genuine concern for free speech.
• Takeaway: While not defending Kimmel’s comedic content, the hosts come down strongly against the silencing of entertainers over political offense, warning that government/corporate entanglement in speech is a game with no winners for open society or comedy.

Listeners receive not just a review of the incident, but also a brisk, insightful debate on the dangers of mixing business, government, and artistic expression. The crew’s banter, real-world anecdotes, and listener emails round out a lively, substantive dialogue on the future of American media.