Nightly Scroll with Hayley

Episode 137: Lyin’ Jimmy Kimmel Faces The Music
Host: Hayley Caronia
Date: September 19, 2025

Episode Overview

This episode of Nightly Scroll features Hayley Caronia’s sharp, unapologetic conservative commentary on the uproar over Jimmy Kimmel’s indefinite suspension from his ABC late night show after controversial on-air remarks about the assassination of Charlie Kirk. Hayley dissects the political and cultural fallout, from network decisions and mainstream media reactions to the broader issues of cancel culture, media accountability, and the left-right divide on free speech. Later in the episode, Hayley and guest Scott Bryson (ex-Secret Service) discuss security failures around the Kirk assassination and the challenges of protecting high-profile conservatives.

Key Discussion Points

1. Trump’s Helicopter Scare and Kimmel Suspension (00:30–04:07)

• Hayley opens by reassuring listeners that Donald and Melania Trump are safe after an emergency helicopter landing in the UK.
• Immediate segue to the Kimmel controversy: ABC affiliates (Nexstar) and Sinclair Broadcasting pull “Jimmy Kimmel Live” over insensitivity and misinformation regarding Charlie Kirk’s death.

2. Broadcasting Standards & FCC Insights (04:07–05:43)

• FCC Chairman Brendan Carr explains the unique responsibilities of broadcasters, emphasizing public interest and higher standards (“a license granted by us at the FCC... with an obligation to operate in the public interest.” — Carr, 04:55).
• Highlights difference between network TV and online platforms in terms of First Amendment protections and accountability.

3. Network Fallout and Conservative Response (05:44–11:00)

• Sinclair’s larger ABC blackout, replacing Kimmel’s time slot with a Charlie Kirk remembrance special.
• Hayley opines: “I just know that Jimmy Kimmel is inconsolable. He is seething.” (08:10)
• Speculates, based on reports, whether Kimmel is looking to break his ABC contract entirely.

Notable Quote:

“If Jimmy Kimmel just told jokes, good funny jokes... instead of auditioning for Rachel Maddow’s position on MSNBC every night, he would be in a much different position.”
— Hayley Caronia (08:54)

• Discussion of Kimmel’s comedic evolution: used to be widely funny but now driven by divisive politics.
• Broadcast standards versus internet: "If Jimmy Kimmel was strictly a YouTube show... he would be able to lie, by the way. But you can't lie about the details and motivation of a political assassination when you're on broadcast television..." (10:44)

4. Cancel Culture, Media Framing & Free Speech (11:00–21:47)

• Debate over whether Kimmel’s suspension is a free speech issue or a corporate/accountability matter.
• Hayley: “All these people in the mainstream media saying like, this is fascist, as if they don’t have to follow certain guidelines and rules.” (12:49)
• Andy W. points out Kimmel’s ratings have tanked: “You shouldn't be down 51% since... 2022.” (13:44)
• Networks have a financial, not just political, incentive.

5. Mainstream Media & Political Response (17:47–34:50)

• Media responses lampooned:
  • Brian Stelter (CNN): “America is a less free place if late night comedians cannot do and say what they want...” (18:37)
  • Chris Hayes (MSNBC): "The countries where comedians can't mock the leader on late night TV are not really ones you want to live in." (19:34)
  • Hayley’s counter: Kimmel not fired for mocking Trump but for “lying.”
• Mockery of leftist hyperbole—“everything is fascism.”
  • Hayley: “It’s losing meaning at this point... Now you are using this word. You’re throwing it around like it’s nothing.” (20:09)

Notable Quote:

“Every American should care that Jimmy Kimmel’s not on the air anymore... They don’t even have enough Americans to watch the show.”
— Hayley Caronia (25:47)

• Eric Swalwell’s TV meltdown: “It should shake every American that the President... is out there firing comedians who make fun of him.” (25:13)
• Hayley: You can’t equate Kirk's assassination with Kimmel’s firing on any moral or political metric.

6. Senators, Mob Calls, and Outrage Hysteria (27:40–34:00)

• Chris Murphy (D-CT): “We need to mobilize. This is a red alert moment, man.” (27:40)
• Gavin Newsom & Midas Touch echoing accusations of “dictatorship.”
• Hayley, mocking: “If our nation’s democracy hinges on a failed comedian’s employment, the nation was doomed to begin with.” (30:03)
• Keith Olbermann’s inflammatory tweet: “Burn in hell Sinclair alongside Charlie Kirk.” (32:31)

7. ABC, Disney, and Boycotts (32:31–35:37)

• Discussion of calls for work stoppages and boycotts until Kimmel is reinstated.
  • Hayley: “If Disney, ABC, all these talent just didn’t show up to work, we’d be like, wow, this is what it feels like to be the mainstream media. It’s like only people on the right working.” (33:23)
• Brief mocking of The View and Joy Behar for outlandish remarks about Republicans (34:55–35:35).

Tactical Details Segment – Security & The Kirk Assassination (38:08–61:13)

8. Turn to Security: Ben Shapiro on Outdoor Events (38:08–39:31)

• Ben Shapiro declares he’ll never do an outdoor event again due to security:

“I will never again do an outdoor event. It’s not possible because there’s too many vantage points, there’s too many overlooks.” (38:19)

9. Scott Bryson (Former Secret Service): Analysis & Recommendations (39:31–60:39)

• Agrees with Shapiro: Outdoor events are "a lose, lose situation from the beginning" (40:01) due to uncontrollable variables.
• Explains security layers: inner, middle, and outer perimeters, and how resource and budget constraints limit private citizens' options compared to protected officials.
• Discusses cost, feasibility, and real-life limitations of high-profile event security, including the need for plainclothes, rooftop, and crowd-embedded personnel.
• On the Secret Service's failures at Butler, PA (Trump rally): Should have had eyes on the roof; contrast with Kirk’s less protected event.

Notable Quote:

“Your protection model shouldn’t be based on title. It should be based on threat level... Kamala Harris had way more assets in Pennsylvania the same day that Trump was there. But the threat level on Trump was way higher. But because she was a sitting VP, she had assets he didn’t have.”
— Scott Bryson (51:06)

• Discussion about crime scene logistics: Assures that FBI/ATF thoroughly process scenes before allowing clean-up (52:17–53:41).
• Addresses skepticism about killer’s text messages: Bryson believes messages seemed genuine, acknowledges possibility of manipulation (54:48).
• General take: Likely a “radicalized young man,” not a grander conspiracy (57:15–58:26).
• On online radicalization and law enforcement’s monitoring of chat rooms: “Every single thing’s being monitored...” (58:56).

Notable Quotes & Memorable Moments

• Hayley Caronia
  • “A failed wannabe news opinion host got a slap on the wrist for lying.“ (10:44)
  • “This is all very rich, obviously, coming from the party that... said absolutely nothing when the Biden regime launched a misinformation board...” (21:47)
  • “If there's a will, there's a way. You have to have countermeasures in place for sure.” (43:23)
• FCC Chairman Brendan Carr
  • “I want to reinvigorate the public interest.” (04:57)
• Andy W.
  • “If you don't care that you're on thin water, go over to CNN, sign you an $8 million contract and go up against Gutfeld.” (15:01)
• Scott Bryson
  • “Your protection model shouldn’t be based on title. It should be based on threat level.” (51:06)
  • “Words matter and consequences are a real thing.” (59:53)
• Ben Shapiro
  • “If what Charlie died for means anything, it means that we have to keep actually going into these spaces and having these debates. But it's going to change the nature of security.” (38:49)

Timestamps for Important Segments

• 00:30: Show start, quick news, Trump’s helicopter incident
• 03:30: Announcement of Kimmel show suspension and reasons
• 04:07: FCC Chairman Brendan Carr interview – public interest in broadcasting
• 08:10: Hayley’s reaction to Kimmel’s ouster, speculation on ABC contract
• 10:44: Debate on free speech vs. broadcast standards
• 18:37: Brian Stelter’s “loss of freedom” remarks
• 25:13: Rep. Eric Swalwell decries Kimmel’s firing
• 27:40: Sen. Chris Murphy’s “red alert” mobilization rhetoric
• 32:31: Keith Olbermann's inflammatory tweet
• 38:08: Ben Shapiro on future of conservative campus events
• 40:01: Scott Bryson’s professional assessment on security for conservative speakers
• 51:06: Discussion of threat level vs. title in security resource allocation
• 53:41: Crime scene management questions post-Kirk assassination
• 54:48: Analysis of suspected killer’s leaked text messages
• 58:56: On law enforcement monitoring of online radicalization

Tone and Style

The episode is delivered in Hayley Caronia’s signature, no-nonsense and often sarcastic conservative style. Rhetoric is combative and unapologetically partisan, especially when mocking mainstream media, left-wing politicians, and “cancel culture.” The tactical segment with Scott Bryson is more analytical and sober, providing behind-the-scenes security insights.

For Listeners Who Missed the Episode

This episode offers a comprehensive breakdown of the Jimmy Kimmel controversy from a conservative viewpoint, detailing not just the “what” but the “why” of network decisions, media reactions, and the greater implications for American media, political discourse, and personal safety of right-wing figures. Hayley’s sharp commentary, paired with practical expert opinions, delivers both the cultural pulse and practical realities of the post-assassination conservative media landscape.