Podcast Summary: Part Of The Problem

Episode: Jimmy Kimmel is Back

Host: Dave Smith
Co-Host: Robbie “the Fire” Bernstein
Release Date: September 25, 2025

Overview

In this episode of Part Of The Problem, Dave Smith and Robbie Bernstein focus on the controversy surrounding Jimmy Kimmel’s recent brief suspension and dramatic return to late-night TV after offensive comments about a recent political shooting. The hosts analyze the media circus, free speech hypocrisy, government censorship, and the ongoing narrative battles between mainstream liberal culture and the dissenting right/libertarian voices. Throughout, Smith and Bernstein use satire, sharp critique, and insider comedy observations to deconstruct Kimmel’s apology and the broader media-political landscape.

Key Topics & Discussions

1. Jimmy Kimmel’s “Cancellation” and Return

• (01:22–07:44)
• Dave and Robbie open by discussing how Kimmel was “indefinitely” suspended but returned after only a few days, calling into question the legitimacy and effectiveness of the cancellation.
  • Dave calls out the strategic blunder of making Kimmel a "free speech martyr":

    “You just took a guy who was dying saying stupid stuff, nobody cared until he said something offensive and they made him like this free speech martyr... probably just gave him the best ratings he's gonna have in years. Just stupid and counterproductive.” (03:00)

  • Robbie jokes that ABC/Disney handled this like a Trump PR stunt — all hype with no real consequences.

2. Dissecting Kimmel’s Apology: False Victimhood and Non-Apology

• (05:02–07:44, 12:52–18:29)
• The hosts play clips of Kimmel's monologue, noting his emotional tone and attempt to “split the difference” — coming close to apologizing without admitting fault.
  • Robbie’s summary:

    “Sorry that, that you took it that way and that you were offended. Of course that's not what I meant because I'm the nice guy.” (06:09)

  • Dave highlights how Kimmel centers the situation on himself, saying,

    “You start, you're crying, but as you're crying, it's kind of more about you... No one really accused you of making fun of Charlie Kirk. What you did was you tried to use that as an opportunity to mock MAGA... Either stand by that or apologize for it. I don't care either way... but don't do this bullshit thing in the middle where you're like pretending people misunderstood what you said when they didn't.” (13:13–16:17)

3. Liberal Cancel Culture & Media Hypocrisy

• (09:01–12:52, 19:39–25:55)
• They expand on the broader culture of liberal media, observing how liberal personalities become victims of cancel culture only when it targets “one of their own.”
• Smith points to confirmed government pressure on big tech (e.g., Google, YouTube) to censor dissent, noting how establishment media voices are mostly insulated from the consequences regular people face.
  • Key Quote:

    “It's the dude who, like, sprained his ankle telling the guy in the wheelchair that we both know what it's like to be handicapped or something like that. Like, no, you don't. And it's really just so insulting to anyone who's been paying attention at all.” (12:19)

4. Media Bubble & The Regime “Puppet” vs. Organic Support

• (28:39–35:39)
• The discussion shifts to the difference between artificial media figures (like Kimmel, Lemon, Cuomo) and creators with organic followings (e.g., Tucker Carlson, Joe Rogan).
  • Dave Smith:

    “So in a way in this experiment you got to figure out who is real, who has organic support from their people and who essentially is a product of the machine... The fact that you knew this was such a penalty proves that your whole thing is bullshit to begin with.” (31:18)

5. Government Threats & True Free Speech

• (35:39–46:14)
• Kimmel’s concern about government intervention is contrasted with the liberal support for censorship until they’re threatened. Smith brings up past examples of bipartisan governmental gangsterism.
  • Dave, on Biden’s COVID comments:

    “If the President said, ‘we've been patient with you, but our patience is wearing thin.’ Is that a gangster threat? Because I took that as a pretty gangster threat when the President of the United States of America said that.” (43:03)

  • The hosts point out the selectivity in who gets their speech protected or sanctioned.

6. Final Analysis: Principles vs. Hypocrisy in Censorship

• (51:42–end)

• Smith and Bernstein conclude that censoring mainstream regime figures like Kimmel is not only wrong on principle but counterproductive: it hands them a PR victory and temporarily revives their relevance.

  • Dave’s strategic advice:

    “Let these guys go die. Keep the government away from us... let's not contradict the whole thing now or even if it's not truly hypocrisy, don't give them this talking point to say, look, it's hypocrisy and all this. Like, we just got to the point where we can talk on the Internet without having to worry about getting silenced for it.” (53:12)

• The episode closes with Robbie agreeing, and Dave emphasizing that instead of state censorship, the market should be trusted to let artificially propped-up media fail on their own.

Notable Quotes & Moments

• On Cancel Culture's Double Standards

  “Have come up, literally made our careers during the reign of tech censorship and Cancel Culture. To hear these guys talk about it, like, as if this isn't just what everyone constantly deals with... And you're one example of a guy who didn't get canceled, as it turns out.” (07:18 – Dave Smith)

• On Liberal Media Bubble

  “Liberals... are really bad at seeing outside of their group... They can't remove themselves enough... If we got rid of your show, what, we'd only have Fallon and Colbert and every other show that has the exact identical politics to you.” (20:04 – Dave Smith)

• On Artificial Media Stature

  “When you’re just a puppet, people don’t—nobody has loyalty toward a puppet. And so, like, you kind of know you’re not gonna, you’re not gonna bring that with you.” (34:39 – Dave Smith)

• Kimmel’s Ratings “Martyrdom”

  “Oh, did you just figure out that the government does gangster shit, Jimmy?... It’s almost like the whole nature of the government is just the gang that’s perceived as legitimate. Yes.” (42:43 – Dave Smith)
  “Even he can say that, like, oh, this was the best thing that happened to me. Is that Donald Trump? Oh, yeah. Donald Trump, you say my ratings suck. Not tonight. Tonight they're gonna be good.” (51:42 – Dave Smith)

• On Free Speech Principles

  “I don't view this as, like, a—like if... the FBI ruled to disarm the CIA, like, I don't think they're violating their Second Amendment rights. It's a conversation between governments... I'm saying, like, I don't care about it. Like, I don't actually. I don't care. Anybody who, like, just in my own, like, ethical framework, anybody who, like, voluntarily, like, became a mouthpiece of the regime and enriched themselves in doing it, like, I don't care about their voice being squashed.” (59:21 – Dave Smith)

Timestamps of Key Segments

• Kimmel’s return & the industry response – 01:22–07:44
• Breakdown of Kimmel's apology segment – 12:52–18:29
• Government censorship & tech companies – 10:02–12:52
• Media’s organic support vs regime mouthpieces – 28:39–35:39
• Discussion on government threats and hypocrisy – 35:39–46:14
• Final strategy: Why censorship is counterproductive – 51:42–62:18

Tone & Language

The conversation maintains Dave Smith’s signature mix of articulate libertarian analysis, irreverent humor, and critical deconstruction of media narratives. Robbie supplements with punchy quips and comedic asides, creating a conversational but sharp dynamic.

Takeaway

This episode illustrates how "cancel culture" in mainstream media provides only surface-level consequences, especially for establishment-friendly figures like Jimmy Kimmel, while true dissenters still face real censorship. Ultimately, Dave Smith argues that liberty—and truth—win on a level playing field, and that calls for state censorship, even against media villains, backfire and fortify the regime’s propaganda figures. Letting bad ideas fail on their own remains the best policy.