Ruthless Podcast - Episode Summary

Episode: Exposing Left Wing Hypocrisy & Giving A Crash Course on Actual First Amendment Freedoms
Air Date: September 19, 2025
Hosts: Josh Holmes, Comfortably Smug, Michael Duncan, John Ashbrook
Special Guest: Sen. Bernie Moreno (R-OH)

Overview

This episode of the Ruthless Podcast dives into the fallout from ABC’s suspension of late-night host Jimmy Kimmel, using the event as a lens to dissect left-wing hypocrisy around free speech and the First Amendment. The discussion also explores the intersection of media, government influence, and what is (and isn’t) a constitutional violation. Later in the show, the hosts interview Sen. Bernie Moreno about the Senate climate, auto industry reform, and observations from his first year in Washington. The episode wraps up with the signature “Fun Time Friday”—animal news and banter.

Main Theme: First Amendment Hypocrisy and Media

The Kimmel Firing: Constitutional Crisis or Business?

• [01:17] Josh Holmes introduces the Kimmel scenario, highlighting left-wing claims that his contract cancellation is an assault on free speech.
  • “Anytime a late night host ... converts what was Johnny Carson’s formulation of late night into just a straight propaganda center and they get fired ... oh, they hate it.” – Josh Holmes [01:17]
• [02:00] Guest Commentator mocks how progressives escalate contract firings into constitutional crises.
  • “It becomes a constitutional crisis.” – Guest [02:00]
• [02:13] Michael Duncan and others satirize the idea that private corporations firing hosts is a First Amendment issue, joking that the Constitution forbids firing unfunny late night hosts.

Key Context:

• The First Amendment restricts government actions, not private corporate decisions.
  • “The First Amendment applies to the government's ability to limit the speech of citizens and it has no application to corporate America.” – Josh Holmes [05:55]

Hypocrisy: Corporate Censorship vs. Government Intervention

• [05:57] Holmes and the panel dissect how liberals previously cheered platform bans against conservatives, only to claim outrage when one of their own is removed for poor ratings.
  • “We just went through a four year period where the liberal elite ... decided that if you had an opinion contrary to theirs ... you could just be removed from platforms.” – Josh Holmes [05:57–06:57]
  • “[Jimmy Kimmel’s] show sucks. It’s not funny. The ratings have been a disaster.” – Josh Holmes [06:18]
• [07:06] ABC’s financial losses on Colbert and Kimmel are highlighted, suggesting that business, not ideology, motivated the firings.
  • “This guy’s getting fewer viewers than a successful podcast.” – Michael Duncan [07:05]

Media as Political Activism—Not Business

• [08:00–09:09] Hosts discuss how legacy media and entertainment became extensions of the Democratic Party, even at massive financial losses, until the business reality forced a course correction.
  • “Hollywood is slowly learning this lesson ... why are we setting our money on fire to be free operatives for the Democrat Party?” – Michael Duncan [08:00]
• [14:02] Guest commentator calls liberal late-night and news shows “an in-kind contribution to the Democratic Party.”

Selective Outrage and Changing Standards

• [10:04] Michael Duncan reads Barack Obama’s social media post decrying “dangerous” regulatory threats against media—contrasting with his administration’s aggressive actions against journalists and leaks.
  • “Obama’s Justice Dept. dug into confidential communications between news organizations and their sources ... with unprecedented vigor, prosecuting more people than all previous administrations combined.” – Guest [11:24]
• [12:01] Josh Holmes: “Isn’t that interesting?”—on Obama’s selective concern about free speech.
• [18:27] Chris Hayes’s quote on “straightforward attack on free speech” is lampooned as the hosts recall the left’s embrace of platform bans and COVID orthodoxy.

Quote Highlight:

“Do you think you have a memory of a goldfish that would allow you to seek back 24 months when you and your network cheered on the banning of the President...?” – Josh Holmes [18:29]

Crash Course: What the First Amendment Actually Means

• [05:55] “The First Amendment applies to the government's ability to limit the speech of citizens and it has no application to corporate America.”

• [19:54] “They would say, ‘...there are limits to our First Amendment, and these people are causing danger by speaking their mind.’ Well, it turns out those people were right.” – Josh Holmes

• [30:21] Brian Stelter (old clip): “Reducing a liar’s reach is not the same as censoring freedom of speech. Freedom of speech is different than freedom of reach.”

  • Used by hosts to draw out liberal inconsistencies when ideological tides shift.

Guest Interview: Sen. Bernie Moreno (R-OH)

Segment Start: [34:30]

Ohio, Senate Freshman Experience, and Political Climate

• Moreno shares personal stories about Ohio’s unsung brands (e.g., Sam Adams beer brewed in Cincinnati, Smucker’s HQ), and how traveling the state improved his understanding.
• Offers an outsider’s perspective on D.C. dysfunction and explains the “mean girls” dynamic of Democrats fearing their base.
• “Fetterman is by far the smartest and strongest willed Democrat. They treat him like garbage, which is a shame.” – Moreno [42:38]
• “I went out and captured the VIN numbers of my colleagues on the Commerce Committee ... you want to mandate all the safety technology in this car, but here’s a window sticker of your car. You didn’t buy the safety technology that you could get.” – Moreno [49:06]

Policy Initiatives

• Advocates for tariffs to protect working Americans and limit offshoring of call center jobs—the HIRE Act (25% fee on outsourcing), and the American Worker Liberation Act (10% tariffs, removing income tax for <$65k/year earners).
  • “Working Americans are still getting crushed... and we should center both parties around how do we just help working Americans now.” – Moreno [55:14]
• Explains negotiations around auto industry standards, removal of EV mandates, and why legislators sometimes don’t even know details of new laws.
• “There is no constitutional right to make $16 million a year. There just isn’t.” – Josh Holmes [32:30]

Memorable Moments:

• Moreno’s playful but pointed Senate observations ("Did you know you just voted no on a guy you like for the DEA? Why?").
• Hilarious story: Moreno’s wife wears “Friends of the IDF” hat and is harassed by a protester, but he assumes it’s because people recognize him. [51:23]

Fun Time Friday Variety (Animal News & Lighter Notes)

Segment Start: [66:03]

• Bear walks into Dollar General—hosts play video of a black bear inside a store, later euthanized as a “nuisance bear.”
  • “If you're ever in a store and you see that ... drop a bear, get it turned into a rug...” – Michael Duncan [67:40]
• Orca attacks on European boats—satire on scientists calling it “playful” behavior.
  • “If it’s a game, then I got a game. It’s called Pin the Harpoon on the Whale.” – Michael Duncan [70:51]

Notable Quotes & Timestamps

• “We just went through a four year period of time where the liberal elite ... decided that if you had an opinion contrary to theirs ... you could just be removed from platforms individual, like random Americans. And then they escalated to ... President ... United States...” – Josh Holmes [05:57]
• “The First Amendment applies to the government's ability to limit the speech of citizens and it has no application to corporate America.” – Josh Holmes [05:55]
• “This guy’s getting fewer viewers than a successful podcast.” – Michael Duncan [07:05]
• “Obama’s Justice Dept. dug into confidential communications between news organizations and their sources...” – Guest [11:24]
• “Reducing a liar’s reach is not the same as censoring freedom of speech. Freedom of speech is different than freedom of reach.” – Brian Stelter [30:21]
• "There is no constitutional right to make $16 million a year." – Josh Holmes [32:30]
• “Working Americans are still getting crushed... and we should center both parties around how do we just help working Americans now.” – Sen. Bernie Moreno [55:14]
• “If it’s a game, then I got a game: Pin the Harpoon on the Whale.” – Michael Duncan [70:51]

Conclusion

The Ruthless crew roasts left-wing figures for sudden concern over free speech after years of championing censorship and cancel culture. The Kimmel saga is presented not as a constitutional issue but as a basic business decision—one the left only objects to when directed at their own. Sen. Moreno offers a refreshing look inside the Senate and populist policy priorities, before the show wraps with trademark humor and animal stories.

For listeners seeking critical insight on First Amendment debates, media bias, and the shifting tides of political outrage—with a heavy side of irreverent humor—this episode delivers a comprehensive conservative take.

Segment Timestamps

• 00:00 – First Amendment Satire & Intro to Kimmel Firing
• 02:00 – “Constitutional Crisis” Mockery
• 05:55 – First Amendment 101 & Corporate Decisions
• 07:06 – Corporate Media as Activist “Super PACs”
• 10:04 – Obama’s Hypocrisy on Media Freedom
• 18:27 – Chris Hayes & Media Memory
• 34:30 – Bernie Moreno Interview: Ohio, the Senate, and Policy
• 66:03 – Fun Time Friday: Bear Incident, Orca Satire

“Keep the faith, hold the line, and own the libs.”