09-18-25 - Disney Has Pulled Jimmy Kimmel Off The Air Indefinitely In Response To Seemingly Mild Comments He Made About Charlie Kirk's Killer Making It Feel Like A Govt Hit

Summary

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

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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.

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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]

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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]

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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]

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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.

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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.

Transcript

[Podcast Host]

You're listening to the HMS Podcast, brought to you by MMP Guns.com, your most trusted online marketplace for firearms, ammunition and accessories.

[John Holmberg]

It's John Holmberg here from the Morning Sickness. Thrilled to tell you about my friends at Turf Monsters. Backyard living space. You either have it or you don't. It doesn't matter if you've got a huge yard or a little one. Making outdoor living space a priority is great for you, your home, your pets. The turf they put in looks amazing. 365 days a year, they added in a putting green. I have a beautiful backyard space. My dogs love, that I love. And the script has been flipped. So if you see your yard as a job, stop it. Go to turfmonstersaz.com, say homework sent you and get 10 off your vision. Turfmonstersaz.com you thought that was funny? You were laughing like a hyena when he said it. What the hell is wrong with you? Good morning, everybody. Hello there. Welcome to Thursday. It's 5:45 of this. It's the morning Sickness. My name is John. There's Brady, there's Brett, There's Big Dick Toledo. We're off and running. Let's get this thing going. And, oh, the world is abuzz. The Jimmy Kimmel thing is taken off. You haven't heard yet. Jimmy Kimmel was first suspended by a company that owns a bunch of ABC affiliates after the FCC came down and said what Jimmy did was was wrong. Jimmy Kimmel, who? I don't care for his comedy. I used to. Actually, there's a weird little side thing here. I used to email pretty frequently. Back in 1999 or 2000, I had a friend who was good friends with Jimmy and he gave me Jimmy Kimmel's number and said, just if you want to get advice from him. And Jimmy gave me some good advice right off the bat. He was just finishing up at kroc. I don't think he had. He might have just started the talk show. He was the man. Show was going or done.

[Co-host/Guest]

Yeah.

[John Holmberg]

I don't remember the years, but it was close to. And I remember just talking to him. I kind of felt at my old station completely and utterly like I was lost there and I was management and it was like I didn't know what they were doing with music and how much I had to control. He gave me great advice, actually. He basically said, you're only in control of one thing. It was very Mike Tomlin. You're in control of what you do. Let them fumble the station. You do what you do and you do that well. It won't matter what they play or what the promotions are. He said, you'll be at a station that goes away, but, you know, make your mark, do your best. If you have an audience of one, you have an audience. And I said, that's fantastic advice. And I've carried that with me the whole time. Then we would email back and forth every once in a while, just kindness things, you know. He once told me that our friend in common sent him a tape and he said, oh, you're very good at this. This. And it was very nice. And I emailed back, asked him if you. Then one time I emailed him and I got a response back that said, Jimmy is no longer capable of. Of answering emails from people on this email. So if you don't have Jimmy's personal email, please cease to fill this with personal things. This is now his business email. And it was from an assistant. And I'm like, oh, okay. And so I was like, so I remember thinking, that's kind of a dick move in a weird way. Like, you have an assistant, just go get rid of these people. That's how it's kind. Yeah.

[Co-host/Guest]

Brush off.

[John Holmberg]

Yeah, it was. It wasn't kind. It was just like, let's. They're thinking he doesn't talk to you anymore. Is essentially. I'm like, I'm too busy, I'm too big. And I think that was right around when his show started. And I'm. And I took it two ways. Okay, business. He must have a lot of these. Or he didn't like me. And it's like, enough of this guy. And 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. I thought we were friends. No. I mean, I would maybe reach out once every two months. He wouldn't remember me. It wasn't like we were best friends, so it wasn't like I was. So he must have been getting a lot and started his own email. I get it. But it kind of was. It kind of rubbed me the wrong way rather than. Especially because we had a friend in common who I could go back and go, Jimmy kind of gave me a brush off. And he would. He was close to him and would definitely say, jimmy, that's not cool. I didn't go down that road or.

[Co-host/Guest]

Get you back in the personal list.

[John Holmberg]

Yeah. And I didn't. And at that point, I'm like, we're not good enough. We're not friends at all. To have that happen. It was kind of a weird thing. It was okay. I didn't mind it, but so, you know. No, no more context. So it's not like I'm not saying, oh, I'm best buddies with Jimmy or ever was. We had a falling out. That's not what I'm saying. Saying that I leaned on him for advice a few times and then got kind of a weird email that said don't and like, okay, so you've tapped your advice. Yeah.

[Co-host/Guest]

And I. Yeah, give me enough already, kid.

[John Holmberg]

Yeah. And there were a few things that, you know, he was very kind to me and I. So I just took it as like, oh, okay, this door's open. I'm not saying any of this has anything to do with what happened, but I did have that experience with him. So I've kind of had this weird vibe on Jimmy. Like, every time I see him, I have that little. Like, that was kind of strange, you know, the thing that just kind of gets you, like, I wish I could. It's an open door. There's no closure to that. So the show goes. He ends up saying something about Charlie Kirk and saying that the, you know, the MAGA people are trying so hard to make sure that the guy that killed Charlie Kirk is anything but one of theirs. And he's basically insinuating that it was a right wing Republican that shot Charlie Kirk. And it was the problem I have with Jimmy Kimmel.

[Co-host/Guest]

There's so much, you know, they're also saying there's so much misinformation going out there at the time.

[John Holmberg]

He's a comedian.

[Co-host/Guest]

Yeah.

[John Holmberg]

My problem with Jimmy Kimmel is I don't think he's funny. I just don't like. I don't find his humor funny. I think he got so deep into politics that it became spiteful and kind of almost bitter, weird and strange and like, it just wasn't funny to me, man. That's fair. If you think he's funny, that's what. Comedy is subjective. So I didn't think he's funny. But I did say last week, after the Charlie Kirk thing, if somebody doesn't like what's being, you know, said, like, if you don't like what's being said about the Charlie Kirk, let the people who hate it dance and sing and celebrate. Because that's exactly what we were fighting for in the first place of freedom of expression and things. So we need more people to say Stuff and freedom of speech is people saying things you just don't like to hear. That's what they're allowed to do. I watched what Jimmy Kimmel said and the FCC came down on him. And the right is celebrating and the left is miserable. And I think the left is right. He didn't say anything bad. I don't know when comedians had to be factually correct. Second, it, it was just, it's one.

[Co-host/Guest]

Guy from the FCC too, that dude.

[John Holmberg]

Yeah. The chairman came down and that, that looks like a hit.

[Co-host/Guest]

Yeah.

[John Holmberg]

And he came down on the, he, he did it the way that you do a hit. He came down on the businesses that are the, the affiliates. The affiliates turned to ABC and said, hey, I don't want this. We're not paying any fines for this. We're not airing this. If there's going to be. Is he going to go on and bark about this more? And ABC basically Disney said Nextar, who has 200 affiliates. Nextar's the affiliate owner. Yeah, ABC is the big like they pulled the plug and so now everybody's like, oh, it was a silencing and in a way it kind of is. And I don't like that. I don't. Look, the FCC never once bothered me but I've seen him do it to other people and it seems frivolous and almost. It's vengeful. They did it to Stern for years. It was a revenge thing for him, making fun of them. They got their panties in a bunch because he basically threw the finger at the FCC and they tried to strong arm him.

[Co-host/Guest]

There's been a couple situations where they asked for actual, you know, audio of in the past from.

[John Holmberg]

Oh sure.

[Co-host/Guest]

And they're like, there's nothing there.

[John Holmberg]

Right. Well, because, you know, it doesn't take much for them to, to want to hear something and whatever. They don't have to ask for anything. They can just have it. They get it. I don't know how they can just get it. It floats around. So yeah, it's a very strange thing. So I don't like this and I'm not a Jimmy Kimmel fan, but I think that's what's blinding people with the Kimmel cancellation is that he's been so tribalized one Direction. His, you know, his guests all agree with him. He doesn't ever have anybody on that, you know, is Republican or like a right wing or. He just doesn't. He can't have fun with people who disagree with him. It seemed like. So people started to hate him on the Right. And love him on the left. And his show's not funny and it doesn't get great ratings. And then Trump goes out of his way to tweet this amazing. You know, all good. He got it. Next one up is Fallon. And he's like. He's a talentless hack. And all this is like, don't you have better things?

[Co-host/Guest]

Shut your trap.

[John Holmberg]

Aren't you? And it's. It always makes me laugh, and then it always makes me shake my head and go, come on, be bigger. But he can't. He loves that stuff. So he took a swing and said he had lower ratings than Colbert, if that's possible. Fallon's next. And it's like, okay, now it seems like hits every time the king speaks out and says, this guy's going down next. And then Seth Meyers. It's all these people that have kind of. And Jimmy Fallon hasn't made fun of him, but a little bit harmlessly. Seth Meyers goes after him pretty good. I would imagine that. That's another one. But if you can go after the people who own the affiliates there. Look, they're scared constantly. Owners of media outlets. Most of them aren't in this business to have any sort of problems. They're not tough people. They ask you to go out and stand on the line. And that's the thing. I know for sure. Especially doing what we do. Go out there, push the line. Push the line. Push the line. And when you step over it, you're out of here. They're not. They're not backing you. Too. Too heavy. If you get into enough hot water. We've had Chuck Artigue did in a big way. Tripp does. But it is one of those things when owners are like, oh, we got the wrong call from the wrong person. Suddenly they don't like you. It's not even like a little bit. Suddenly you're just a jerk and you don't know what you're doing. And it's. You know, it's. It's. There's a lot of weight on that. So when affiliates want to start pulling. If you're in that biggest situation. It makes sense, but does seem sort of like a government hit on. On a speech thing. Jimmy. Didn't I. There's been 10 times worse than what he did there.

[Co-host/Guest]

Well, there seems there definitely have been people. Not only Jimmy, but you're hearing about all these people losing their.

[John Holmberg]

Oh, yeah. And some of them should. He didn't say anything. But he didn't say anything that bad.

[Co-host/Guest]

Yeah.

[John Holmberg]

What he Said was misinformation. And that's scary. Close enough. Get him out.

[Podcast Host]

It was just tasteless.

[John Holmberg]

Well, it was. It was the wrong time. I don't know that he said anything that tasteless. It was just. He wanted so badly for it to be a guy from the right that shot Charlie Kirk. So his side's off the hook. It's his own bed. Jimmy Kimmel made his own bed by being a political spokesperson instead of a comedian.

[Podcast Host]

Well, every action has a reaction.

[John Holmberg]

Absolutely.

[Podcast Host]

Reaction.

[John Holmberg]

But the. To me, this reaction is more of a, okay, we're just waiting to club you over the head. And that is a silencing of a voice. And that I'm. I hate. No matter what side you're on, if Jimmy Kimmel wants to spew crap. Now, if we get into. And it is again devil's advocate on this. Jimmy decided to be a mouthpiece for a political party. And instead of just a comedian, comedians having. If comedians have to be right, if their jokes have to be fact checked or there's consequences. That is a. That is definitely going to put walls on the ability to say something. I'm not a fan of Jimmy Kimmel's, but I don't think this should have happened. When I looked at him like, no, this isn't right. There are consequences to your speech. But what he did didn't break one rule of the FCC's really, when you look at the rules of broadcasting, it scared affiliates and they got nervous about losing money. That's essentially what it is.

[Co-host/Guest]

Yeah. So it was the call from the FCC. And FCC is saying that. But more or less ABC's reaction like.

[John Holmberg]

Well, yeah, we're going to pull them. Just abc.

[Co-host/Guest]

They start seeing the money.

[John Holmberg]

ABC is looking. To me, what I just saw was a company that isn't going to defend Jimmy if things get sideways because he's not worth it anymore.

[Co-host/Guest]

Again, that the money starts all about that.

[John Holmberg]

That's all about that. They're looking like he gets a lot of dough. If this starts being a heavy weight on us, we got to start paying fines. We're seeing the late night model die. I'm not going to stand behind this. So. And if they semi.

[Co-host/Guest]

It's kind of. So let's just, let's just pull them for a little bit. He's settled. You think he's done.

[John Holmberg]

He's done. Abc, abc, Disney is. Is too big into the world of mergers and acquisitions and buying stuff. Maybe they're not involved in one now to ever have the government that approves those mergers look at them and go, remember when you stood up to us against Kimmel? No mergers for you. So they're thinking. They're thinking 10 years, the big picture. They're not.

[Co-host/Guest]

As if Kimmel goes away from. How much of it does that Drop the needle.

[John Holmberg]

And Jimmy has.

[Co-host/Guest]

And their financial world.

[John Holmberg]

Jimmy has to come back on the air. If they put him back on the air and attack this morning's morning sickness, he has to. He won't. He. He's not going back in the air. He won't be neutered. Yeah, Kimmel won't be neutered. If he's. If he's half the man he said he is, he would go back on the air and say, we all know what happened and attack it. Because that's. I think that's who he is. And ABC knows that. It's like he's not going to stand still for this. Jimmy will have a podcast. Jimmy will have his own thing, and it'll probably be bigger than YouTube channel the show. Right? And people will want to hear his response. He's. If he's smart, he'll save a response. He won't say a thing. But ABC is. They're not looking at Jimmy Kimmel. If they stood up for him, then I would be like, okay, he's a viable source for abc, as you know, as a few. They have his back, like, in a big way. They dumped him the second the affiliate said, we're scared.

[Podcast Host]

How were his numbers, though?

[John Holmberg]

Not great. Nobody in the late night is good. Like, by traditional standards, it's fine, but it's not great. But you can't quiet people. I'm a big. I'm a big proponent of, especially comedians.

[Co-host/Guest]

Well, it kind of.

[John Holmberg]

You know, some guy just emailed me and said, by your definition, Kimmel made his own bed. Didn't Kirk make his as well? Jimmy didn't get shot in the head. That's a difference. Yes, you make your own bed, but if Jimmy was killed, I'd be all over the idea that this is terrible. There's no comparison to Kimmel losing his job for words. And I think he should have the freedom to say it, just like I think Kirk has the freedom to say what he had because he was not confronting or. Or trying to fight people. He was shot to death, which no one should be shot to death for. Some thoughts they have that you don't like. He did not make his own bed. He did not deserve what he got. Not even close. If, If Kirk was silenced by the fcc, if he had a TV show. And I would be like, ah, this has been. This is kind of a trend. I'd be against that too. But you can't compare what I said about Kimmel making his own bed and having this consequence. The same as Charlie Kirk sitting there saying, well, the guy was asking. He was not. No one deserved what happened to Charlie Kirk. No one. And as you say that, I assume the person emailing me is a supporter of the left. If that happened to Kamala Harris or Al Sharpton or Jesse Jack, it would be a tragedy. No one deserves to be shot for saying things that the other side doesn't like. You can lose your job. In this particular case, I think it was an overreaction. I definitely think it was revenge. And Jimmy made his own bet. He's a comedian who's trying. And Charlie Kirk was never a comedian, never anything else. He was going out there, talking to people, having debates. I don't think there's anything wrong with that. You can sit and look at him go, Charlie Kirk's the biggest jackass on the planet if you want to. No one should have shot him for any reason whatsoever, by the way. Just adults in the room. We don't shoot each other. Okay, how about that? That's a nice rule, that policy. That's pretty nice policy. I think it's written in. Pretty sure we've said that to each other. Pretty sure that is the case for all situations. Don't shoot each other, even if you're furious. Only in self defense. And even then, be sure we don't shoot each other. So no, there's no way to combine the idea of Jimmy Kimmel's situation with Kirk's. That is a incredible reach. This guy says, how does CNN or the broads on the View get to stay in the air? Not a fan of Kimmel, but there's a lot of media outlets that blatantly lie to people. Yeah, that's. Look, go to Fox News. They've been wrong before and they are saying, Trust us, we're 100% correct. I don't know that Jimmy Kimmel or any comedians out there go and take everything I say as the truth. We're going to run with. If Jimmy Kimmel had the opinion of, I mean, Alex Jones got in trouble for crazy things because he was harassing the people, but he had every right to say, I don't think that Sandy Hook was real. We had every right to sit back and go, alex Jones is nuts. So, you know, I have a, I have a guy who.

[Co-host/Guest]

And he had that Reputation for a while.

[John Holmberg]

It's like, oh, Alex Jones, he said crazy things, but. But he was presenting them at his. As his facts, not the facts. If you took them as the facts, that's on you. I didn't ever watch Jimmy Kimmel for my news. And that's. That's when I say, that's the bed Jimmy made. He got into this thing where he was like, I'm giving you information. People are now relying on me as an information source. And if I'm wrong. So what, I'm a comic is not a good answer. But if I watched, you know, Caliento go up and he said something that was incorrect or factually not right and they banned him from comedy clubs, I'd be like, that's not fair. That's not. That's not how this is supposed to go down. You're allowed to say things that are wrong. You're allowed to be wrong, and you're allowed to be, you know, wildly goofy, but you. And there are consequences. But I don't think what. All I'm saying is I think Jimmy Kimmel said worse. I think I've. I've seen him do things in the past. I'm like, well, that's not even remotely close to the truth. And it's a joke. It's not a funny joke. And there's my beef with Jimmy Kimmel. I don't think he's funny. Say whatever you want. You're just not funny.

[Co-host/Guest]

We'd always said that, you know, it's funny when the thing that cancels that person. It's like it surprised you. It's usually something that's nothing close to what they've said in the past.

[John Holmberg]

Well, there's moments of that, but again, yeah, I agree with. Mark just emailed and said his show was seemingly already doomed. Disney saw the opportunity to bail and took it. FCC guy just asked for a public apology. Yeah, I don't. I don't understand the FCC needing apologies. You're a government entity. You go in and you black and white things. You don't go in with emotions. That's the one thing I don't like. I want an apology. My. That means the SEC's feelings were hurt and that I don't like once one.

[Co-host/Guest]

Little bit want to wave the power stick.

[John Holmberg]

Yeah. And they did, and they have it. So sometimes you have to get kicked in the nuts. But when they're kind of off base, this does seem like a little bit of it. Brett's people know this is how you hit someone. You basically Go after the power over top of them and say, oh, we'll make your business a nightmare. And that's what they did. They didn't go after. They. They warned Jimmy and then they told the affiliates, you guys want to air this crap, you're on the hook. And the affiliates are like, well, we don't even know Jimmy Kimmel. I'm not paying fines in Wichita. I'm not doing that. I'm not paying a million dollars for my stations if every one of them that airs gets hit with some sort of weird fine. And by the way, FCC fines are never just like Brady, you're fined, and then Brady cuts a check. It's Brady, you're fined. And then you get lawyers and you pay lawyers to make sure that this doesn't go too far to. This usually takes like a year and a half before it's all resolved. It's less than what they originally said, but you've already spent what they originally said making sure that you don't get dinged. So as a media outlet, as a station, you get black marks on your record. And if you can whittle it down to like, can we make it so this never shows up in the future in case there's another incident, that's what you fight for. So it's never at. That part is about money because you're gonna have to spend it to make sure the FCC didn't just, you know, put a big red splotch on your door.

[Co-host/Guest]

I forgot how that one broke down. But the, the Justin Timberlake, Janet Jackson Super Bowl. Remember that thing was.

[John Holmberg]

Yeah, they fine.

[Co-host/Guest]

And then that filed. Kept going down and down. I don't know.

[John Holmberg]

Well, it's a one off. I don't either. I know that they find CBS immediately.

[Podcast Host]

I don't think those two got fined, did they?

[John Holmberg]

I think they tried to. I think again, you go to lawyers and you get in and out. I'm not sure if they had to pay anything because they were basically. That's why they came out with wardrobe malfunction. Was like her clothes popped off on a live event. That's the risk you take for a live event. You should have had a delay. Then they can look at CBS and say, why didn't we have a delay? Why was this dead live? Why couldn't you have hit a button to cover that up? And if you did have a delay and you didn't hit the button, now you're in bigger trouble. So, you know, they just. That was an argument of whether or not that was. And then you know, fast forward 15 years later and I got J. Lo and Shakira shaking their butt cheeks and my screen and I'm loving every second of it. And the FCC got a billion calls on that from moms who were like, this was just an ass festival. And you know, then the FCC's calls are constant. They're like people complaining like, I didn't like this and I didn't like that. And they don't want to waste their time with it because it costs them money too. Too. But this Jimmy Kimmel thing's interesting because the Colbert deal, CBS just fired him. Now that to me was like writing was on the wall. The show was fine, but it wasn't going the right direction. They don't want to hassle and it's time to go. Kimmel's thing looks like revenge. That looks like a go get him. And it. And it seems like a heavy go get him. When the President tweets out right after Fallon's next and Seth Meyers. That means he's got a list, a hit list that doesn't look good. This one's. This email says, I'm not taking the side of the Jimmy Kimmel issue, but what we have to understand is he was not going to be renewed. So this looks like more like a hit from ABC and Disney than anything else. Yeah, but they also had the right to just fire him at any time. ABC did. ABC and Jimmy looking to. They've seen also the ratings for Colbert go up since this announcement that he's off. So in a weird way, they kind of like this, like this looks good. Because if they do air the Jimmy Kimmel's because 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.

[Podcast Host]

Is the show done? I mean, any ones that were taped, are they just gone?

[John Holmberg]

They're not airing.

[Podcast Host]

Okay.

[John Holmberg]

I didn't know Jimmy Kimmel. Okay. Last night it was Celebrity, Family Feud.

[Co-host/Guest]

Oh, gotcha.

[John Holmberg]

Okay, so. And they say that this guy says the same thing. They're looking to dump Kimmel and now they have a reason. Your boss always has a reason. If they're looking to dump you, they don't have to. Like, we need something. If ABC and his contract, if it was up at the end of the year, they would have just not renewed it.

[Co-host/Guest]

Buy it out if there's something that, you know, he had a deal, a two year contract and they ended a year early, just like a football coach or look we're not going to renew it.

[John Holmberg]

Yeah, it's just I don't like when. When, when it's used this way. And it's mainly because it's scary for people like me. Small potatoes. You know, I sit here in Phoenix every day. Nobody cares about this show nationally. We make a mistake, it becomes a here's what they did. We can't defend ourselves. And we've been through it. And you're like, well, wait, nobody said that. But the national media isn't going to make a big deal out of just some radio show in Phoenix, did something stupid. Here's what they did. And then the whole place is told. You want to talk about misinformation? You know when they come after you and they don't get anything right, and the rest of the country's like, oh, you were horrible people. It's like, no, no, that's not what happens. Like, you never have a chance to defend it because they don't care. And then they just bang you. Your company's like, you're gone.

[Co-host/Guest]

They killed three people on air.

[John Holmberg]

Yeah, they lost their minds a couple times. This one says, Holmberg, you just said, no one deserves what Charlie Kirk got. You're right. And to hear you say that, even though I disagree with you on a lot of topics, I can now say I respect the hell out of that Jew knows of yours, Christopher Watts. Well, thank you, Christopher. We can agree and be friends. I'm friends with plenty of people I don't align with in a lot of areas, and it's actually more interesting to have them as friends. This one says Jimmy Kimmel is doing the same thing Howard Stern did just on live tv. He was funny back in the day. He got political and late night TVs, blah, blah, blah. More people are watching TikTok Instagram. Anyway, whatever this is was bound to happen. Whether he said that there's no money in late night TV anymore, there is money, but it's going the wrong way. So all these affiliates are like, is it worth the risk? And especially when they get this political and this kind of charged up time. George Wilson is absolutely right. The FCC has better things to do. Like fine our pathetic local meteorologists who broadcast misinformation constantly and never get in trouble. That is the truth. We need to get the FCC focused in on a friend of mine, Ian Schwartz, and his crew of liars over there at Channel three, who have constantly said, it won't rain while I'm standing in rain. They have an app that bothers me constantly that first alert weather watch that night that massive monsoon came through a few weeks ago, I had just checked my phone to say, is it going to rain? Is it going to be blowing? I want to play basketball. What's the weather going to be like? And I looked and it was like 0% all the way through. 15% chance at like 11 o'. Clock. Holmberg's morning sickness. We all know what happened. Trees. Dorothy floats by my house. There's houses spinning in the air. The whole city got bombarded. And Sean McLaughlin, who an hour earlier was like, geez, didn't see this coming. The FCC doesn't crash down on the weathermen. You want to talk about misinformation? Come on. It's pretty crazy. This one says, john, don't worry, your show will be fine so long as you don't say anything bad about Baby Trump. I don't, I don't agree with that. Although I do agree if you attacked him for years, the worst thing that happened to you is him becoming president because he's, he's got a elephant's memory when it comes to people who made fools of him.

[Co-host/Guest]

It looks that way.

[John Holmberg]

And this definitely looks way back's a mother. Yeah, it is. And that's very mobbish. But it's a, it's true. Unfortunately, again, hold two thoughts in your head that conflict as true because both of them are, he shouldn't do it, but he can and he is. And I don't, I don't see the Colbert one this way. The Kimmel thing after his tweet last night, did you see the one he did about that lady? Who was it? She was a Georgia congresswoman or something and she had lied about her and her co worker had been going to this cabin to have sex. Remember that was a few years ago. And he was trying to get her out. It was a bad thing. She was the one like in the 2020 election that something happened with the votes and he was blaming her and all this other stuff and she was like, turned out she was not on the up and up about a certain thing. She was having an affair with some guy at work. And they, they Trump tweeted out and it's hilarious, but you just don't want him to do it. He tweeted out a thing where just went back for no reason to the dude who was sitting on the stand is like, did you ever go to the cabin with this lady? Do you ever remember going to her cabin? And he sat there for 45 seconds thinking, he goes, ever like, yeah, Trump starts playing Al Green and puts a memory bubble over his head of this woman's like, dirty pictures. It is so funny. And it's like, don't. But you're so funny. But don't. I mean, I think Trump's funnier than Kimmel, and unfortunately that shouldn't be. But I do think he's funnier than Kimmel. It just shouldn't be from that position. We'd much rather have president less funny than a late night talk show like that would. That would have been a great sketch on Kimmel's show, but he wouldn't have done that because it was his own people. He won't eat his own. Anyway, it is a buzz. And if the SEC is asking for apologies, that screams to me, the FCC is being a woman. No offense to women. Well, pretty much heavy offense to women. Me saying that just basically means I've offended you and I offend women. You're being too emotional. Anytime you say, brett, you owe me an apology for the things you said. And Brett's like, wait a minute. I just kind of. I kind of said that I was wrong. I'll apologize that my information was wrong. But if your feelings are hurt, it's not an apology. It's a retraction. That's what the FCC should ask for. A full mea culpa by Jimmy Kimmel to say what I said was wrong. But he's a comedian. They don't have to be right. If we held comedians to the must be factually accurate standards, we lose an awful lot. An awful lot. But Disney makes mergers, and the FCC is looking at him going, you're not gonna. If you keep him around. That's like, not worth it.

[Co-host/Guest]

Disney's also an easy call for them.

[John Holmberg]

Oh, completely. Disney's also completely chicken. That's been the case. I mean, they. They don't want anybody dabbling in what they do in China. They don't want anybody looking into them. Disney is not the most up and up operation when it comes to that. I love. Don't get me wrong, I love Disney. That I'm one of those weird adults that goes to Disneyland, no kids, Disney. I'm fine with that. But I know that their business dealings have been questionable in the past. So the last thing they want is the government going, oh, yeah, you're gonna keep Kimmel. Kimmel's worth it. All right, let's talk about your movie deals in China. Let's talk about what you're doing with communist China.

[Co-host/Guest]

That's the tough thing about that. The corporation, when they, you know, spread from the parks to the other branches of the media, you know, everything, you'd never think, oh, Disney would be behind this film.

[John Holmberg]

The worst part about this, to me is that 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. And that's what the FCC can't be as emotional and personal. And they are. They did it with Stern for years, and they got to the point where he was making them look foolish, so they attacked more often. And when he wrote that Crucified by the FCC thing and put out all of the. It was genius. Put out all of the CDs at the time of things the FCC tried to find him for and sold them. It was brilliant because it made him just any. You know, he was on the cross on the COVID of the thing and he'd been nailed up there. He was. He was absolutely perfect in the way he handled that and took all the punches. He just said, I'm not afraid of you guys are emotional. So it's a weird world. That's a weird one right there. Very weird. And you are most definitely allowed to say things that people don't like. And comedians can be wrong. But, you know, the difference between this show and, let's say Mike Broomhead over at KTAR is Mike's a funny guy.

[Co-host/Guest]

Yeah.

[John Holmberg]

He's not supposed to be funny. So if he starts getting funny at the wrong time or says something that isn't factual, he's held to a different standard than us.

[Co-host/Guest]

They can have friendly giggles.

[John Holmberg]

Yeah. Tactical. Tactical guns. Tactical. Tactical. Bush did this. Right. Obama is a traitor and was born in Africa. Tactical guns. And, like, oops, stepped in it there, Mike. We can say it all day long. Obama is from Uganda there. And people be like, that's not accurate. Like, maybe not. Don't know. I'm a jackass. I make fart jokes. That's my shield. Yeah. Scott Haynes says Fallon and Myers are next on the list. But a reminder to everyone asking, there are no lists. Epstein tv. There are no lists, but they're next on the list. And that's very true. Hilarious. I'll make fun of all of them. People, you know, people on the. I always get emails from people who don't like Trump who will say that I'm nice to him, but I don't know if you hear the impression and stuff that I do. I kind of make him buffoonish. And I did that to. I stayed away from that with Biden, too. I don't really go down the road of those kind of things because I don't want that. I honestly don't care to get into it. I don't have that strong of feelings about either party. I don't like either of them. So I can make fun of both without really getting into their policy. There's stuff I agree with and disagree with. I'll go down that road. This one. I'll stand up for Jimmy Kimmel on this one. And it has nothing to do with a side. I just feel like this is a.

[Co-host/Guest]

Dangerous road when you take a stance sometimes on the, in, in the comedy world and you go on that side of saying, well, I can say, because I'm a comedian, I can get you sometimes you're held accountable for.

[John Holmberg]

By the way, it's not new.

[Co-host/Guest]

No, it hasn't.

[John Holmberg]

Bill Maher's show got canceled for something he said that was just sort of off time. But if you go back to Bill Maher's Politically Incorrect on ABC when he said that you can call the terrorists a lot of things, but you can't call them cowards. He was basically saying what they did was brave, horrible, but it took some balls to climb into a plane and smash it and kill yourself for it. That's the wrong cause. I mean, he got, he got fired for that because it was not the sentiment that people wanted to hear. You didn't want to say anything that could be construed as positive about them. And then, you know who replaced Bill Maher on abc? Jimmy Kimmel. So it was like, this isn't a new thing. There's nothing about this that's new. And it just. You have to be careful. Pendulum swung crazy woke. And now I think it's going to swing back. And the side that hated the woke is now going to start attacking the other side for what they say. That's the same thing.

[Co-host/Guest]

You just wait until it's our turn.

[John Holmberg]

Right, Right. And then it becomes the. Well, we'll swing it back the other way and we'll get goofy on all.

[Podcast Host]

The other stuff this guy brings up. What about Tucker Carlson getting fired back in the day?

[John Holmberg]

It's not new. Yeah, Tucker. And I don't remember why he got fired. I remember there was some misinformation and some crazy and Tucker, you know what? Tucker just went after Trump the other day. So who knows? Yeah, it's not new. People get people. He should have been had a right to say it. Now his employer can look and go, hey, you're getting us in some hot water here. You're not worth it. And at the time, if I remember, that was just on the heels of Fox having everybody playing grab ass and they had lawsuits all over the place. So the last thing they needed was their hosts being incredibly wrong or flaming situations up.

[Podcast Host]

And then Batman brings up business the same kind of as when Disney canceled Gina Carano.

[John Holmberg]

Huge. Yep. Gina Carano had every right on the other side. Yep. And again, there's a quiet retraction misconstrued. And that's why, if you're in that industry, dabbling in politics is sort of against the idea of what you should be doing, especially work for Disney. Disney's. Disney's traditionally protective of Disney. First, you never. So if you're going to make trouble for Disney, you're going to walk away from Disney and not work there again. Disney doesn't want anything. It is the happiest place on earth not to work so much, but just for us. And that's the way they want to keep it. South Park's been brilliant about Disney. Mickey Mouse runs around like a tyrant behind the scenes and just, you know, smacks employees. He's beating them down. He goes to China all the time. He kisses. It's. It's hilarious. And they're basically, like, pulled the curtain back on what Disney's always done, which is a little questionable, but it's a business. They're all a little questionable. It's driven by money. That's why they're so big. They do things right. And sometimes they're like, you're not worth my time. I'm a $6.7 billion operation on the reg. You're not costing me a penny. We're not going the wrong way because of your dumb ass and your opinions. Go get a podcast. And the best thing that could happen to Kimmel right now. I wouldn't go back if you took me off the air and said, you're suspended for your. And I've sat there for years, and you've lived off my dime doing exactly what Jimmy Kimmel does, which has become political. And you've been like, great job, Jimmy. You're the face of the network. You're this and that. But if you step over that line once and then they pull back and they're like, nope, we don't like you anymore. Fines. Fines. You're a jerk. I'm like, you've lived off of this. Back my ass up. Nope, not going to do it. You scared us. Then I wouldn't go back because in this day and age, he doesn't need abc. Look at Conan o'. Brien. Conan o' Brien's making more money with a six person operation than he ever made before. And he made a ton of money. Podcast, go nuts, Jimmy, you've got it. And then you can say whatever you want. You're your own boss. So this is very weird. I don't like this at all.

[Co-host/Guest]

Maybe Megyn Kelly will have them on a guest.

[John Holmberg]

Maybe she goes around doing whatever it is she's doing at the arenas at 6:20. Yeah, it's just every, it's just all over the news and it is, it's, it permeates into radio and stuff like that because we're, look, we're small fries and we're asked to dance and look, I, if I push the line and go too far and they've proven it here, our owners will turn on me in a second. In a second. Got your back. Got your back. Got your back. No, we don't buy like what. And it's a business and I have to understand that too. I can't be emotional back and be angry, but I can't be emotional. I'm looking at this like, oh boy. Let's get a wake up song, shall we? 585-9-800. We'll scream it together. It's 98 KUPD. Wake up. Arizona's most powerful, powerful rock radio station.