KENNEDY SAVES THE WORLD
Episode: "Jimmy Kimmel Live! Booted By ABC"
Date: September 18, 2025
Host: Kennedy (Fox News Podcasts)

Main Theme

Kennedy explores the recent indefinite hiatus (and possible cancellation) of “Jimmy Kimmel Live!” on ABC, examining the decline of late-night comedy hosts who became increasingly political, and how cultural, business, and political climates contributed to this shift. With personal anecdotes and a sharp, humorous style, Kennedy critiques the impact of partisan content on mainstream entertainment and the consequences for figures like Jimmy Kimmel.

Key Discussion Points & Insights

1. The Fall of Jimmy Kimmel and the Shifting Late-Night Landscape

• Kennedy recalls Kimmel’s roots as a spontaneous, fun, and culturally sharp comic, beloved for the irreverent spirit he brought to early radio and television.
• The transition to overt political commentary, especially anti-Trump rhetoric, is cited as a turning point. Kennedy argues Kimmel’s comedy became tired, alienating, and less authentic over the past decade.
  • “Jimmy Kimmel used to be brilliant and spontaneous and fun... and if he still has all of those capabilities, he has not been displaying them over the last, I don't know, nine years, 10 years since President Trump descended on the gilded escalator.” (00:19)

2. Kimmel and Carolla: Diverging Paths

• Personal stories illustrate Kennedy’s early professional encounters with Kimmel and Adam Carolla at KROQ’s “Kevin and Bean” show.
• Kimmel and Carolla’s chemistry is reminisced upon, especially their legacy with ‘The Man Show’, which was purposefully politically incorrect and self-amusing.
  • “Jimmy and Adam together were like chocolate and peanut butter, the two tastes that taste great together that no one knew they needed. And they made absolute magic together.” (02:03)
• Their paths diverged: Carolla evolved into an independent podcaster with loyal listeners; Kimmel sought mainstream approval and Hollywood circles.

3. Partisan Groupthink and Its Costs

• Kennedy contends that Kimmel’s aspirations led him deeper into Hollywood’s “leftist” orthodoxy, aligning with powerful figures and adopting positions necessary to remain in that in-group.
• The trade-off: mass appeal and comedic bite were lost in favor of echoing political stances, to the detriment of the show’s ratings and role as comedy.
  • “Jimmy wanted to be liked. He wanted to be an A-lister... And when you live in that world, you in your own way, become moderately radicalized. And that's what happened to Jimmy.” (03:10)
• The host links Kimmel’s increasingly partisan tone to audience alienation, declining ratings, and the broader fate of late-night TV, including the end of Colbert’s show on CBS.

4. Young Audiences and Market Forces

• Kennedy points out that younger viewers, especially men, have abandoned network late-night shows, preferring alternative voices not bound by political correctness. She credits Greg Gutfeld’s success to his willingness to "still make people laugh" without lecturing.
  • “A lot of [young men] have gone to Gutfeld... because he's the one who is speaking to an audience who still wants to laugh, who... doesn't necessarily want to be lectured to.” (08:33)

5. Kimmel’s Controversy and Hypocrisy

• The host remarks on Kimmel’s recent, incorrect public statement about a high-profile incident, labeling his rush to connect violent acts to political adversaries as irresponsible (the claim that Charlie Kirk’s killer was “part of the MAGA crew”).
  • “Now that Jimmy Kimmel came out and with that idiotic statement that the guy who killed Charlie Kirk was part of the MAGA crew, which was so disprovable, he knew it to be wrong then, but somehow he still said it.” (09:21)
• Kennedy highlights the hypocrisy of anti-gun celebrities employing armed security, observing the ironies in how anxiety about personal safety influences elite behavior.

6. Free Speech, Market Correction, and Political Retaliation

• Kennedy distinguishes between the right to free speech and entitlement to a prime network show:
  • “Jimmy Kimmel has the right to free speech. He is not entitled to his own show to waste millions and millions of dollars by virtue of his fabulousness. And that is the correction that has been made here.” (12:58)
• The episode criticizes any potential government interference—referencing FCC Chair Brendan Carr’s remarks about "balancing the climate"—urging that market forces, not political vendettas, should shape television:
  • “I do not want to see Brendan Carr, the FCC chair, on anyone's airwaves talking about liberals they're going to target in order to balance things out. Let the market do that.” (13:48)
• Kennedy warns about the dangers of government overreach, especially if the political winds shift, potentially turning regulatory focus onto conservative voices in the future.

7. Call for Rational Discourse and Comedy’s True Role

• Concluding, Kennedy voices a yearning for the return of politically incorrect, broad comedy that targets both sides and lightens the national mood. She laments that partisan seriousness has replaced irreverence and fun—once the late night staple.
  • “What we have to do ultimately in this climate is bring the temperature down... having politically incorrect skits about women jumping on trampolines the way the Lord intended.” (14:20)

Notable Quotes & Memorable Moments

• “Jimmy wanted to be liked... so he became friends with Howard Stern and Jennifer Aniston, and all of the people who were the architects of that annoying leftist group think...” (03:20)
• “Even if you are an avid leftist... chances are you are getting your information from a podcast or a substacker who is probably a little bit more intellectual than Jimmy Kimmel.” (04:17)
• “When you're no longer funny, when you're no longer fulfilling the purpose for which your job was originally intended, then maybe it's time to show you the door...” (11:48)
• “You should be defending everyone's right to free speech. And Jimmy Kimmel has the right to free speech. He is not entitled to his own show...” (12:56)
• “Let the market do that. Let the shareholders stand up and do that. Let the affiliates be the ones who put the pressure on ABC to make that decision so we can finally kind of take politics out of it.” (13:58)

Important Timestamps

• 00:00-03:10: Kennedy recalls Kimmel and Carolla’s origins, the transgressive ‘Man Show,’ and a shift in Kimmel's trajectory.
• 03:10-05:00: Discussion of the Hollywood groupthink and Kimmel’s desire for acceptance.
• 05:00-07:35: Impacts on audience, success of alternative shows, and market decline for legacy late night.
• 07:50-09:45: Criticism of Kimmel’s political misstatements, hypocrisy in celebrity politics.
• 11:48-13:48: On whether Kimmel deserved to lose the show, business motivations, and free speech versus platform entitlement.
• 13:48-14:20: Warning about government overreach and FCC’s potential targeting.
• 14:20-close: Nostalgia for truly irreverent late-night humor and calls for lowering the political temperature.

Tone & Style

Kennedy employs a conversational, irreverent, slightly acidic yet playful tone. She blends humor with a pointed critique of Hollywood and political culture, while punctuating her analysis with personal anecdotes from her media career.

Summary

This episode provides an incisive—and highly opinionated—postmortem of Jimmy Kimmel’s career shift and the fate of late-night comedy in an age of political polarization. Kennedy alternates between nostalgia and satire, advocating for a revival of fearless, bipartisan comedy and for market solutions over regulatory ones. Suitable for listeners seeking both cultural commentary and behind-the-scenes media insight, laced with Kennedy’s signature wit.