The Jim Acosta Show

Episode: “FIRED FOR SPEAKING UP! Former Washington Post columnist Karen Attiah plus Steve Schmidt on Jimmy Kimmel”
Date: September 19, 2025
Host: Jim Acosta
Guests: Steve Schmidt, Karen Attiah

Episode Overview

This episode of The Jim Acosta Show centers on the state of free speech and press freedom in the U.S., using recent high-profile firings in media as a lens. Jim Acosta, reporting from Atlanta’s airport, speaks first with political strategist Steve Schmidt about the controversy involving Jimmy Kimmel’s firing from ABC/Disney after comments about Charlie Kirk’s assassination and the subsequent chilling of speech in American media. The discussion then shifts to Karen Attiah, former Washington Post columnist, who was fired after her comments following the Kirk shooting. Both guests provide personal insights into institutional cowardice, attacks on free expression, and lessons for resisting authoritarian drift.

Steve Schmidt on Media Cowardice, Authoritarianism, and the Kimmel Firing

(00:06–20:02)

1. Corporate Cowardice and the State of ABC/Disney

• Schmidt and Acosta critique Disney’s (ABC’s parent company) firing of Jimmy Kimmel over comments on Charlie Kirk’s death.
• Schmidt: "They have obliterated the credibility of their news division. It has been destroyed by the greed of the corporate executives. And that rot starts at the top with Bob Iger at Disney." (01:07)
• Schmidt describes a billboard campaign in L.A. targeting Bob Iger, calling him a "coward," to highlight corporate capitulation.
• Critiques widespread misunderstanding of the First Amendment, linking the crisis to suppression of dissenting speech, even on the left in universities.

2. First Amendment Realities

• Emphasis that the First Amendment restricts the government, not private companies; but the problem arises when government pressure leads to censorship.
• References to FCC Commissioner Brendan Carr pressuring networks, likening him to "Trump’s henchman":
  Acosta: "He basically said, nice network you got there, ABC. Be a shame if something happened to it. And he threatened…to sick the affiliates on the network. That is using the power of the executive branch to suppress speech." (05:08)

3. Legal and Political Remedies

• Strategic call for Democratic Attorney Generals and civil society to obstruct media mergers, break up monopolies, and litigate to preserve media independence.(06:27–08:32)
• Rejection of nostalgia: liberals must focus on concrete reforms, not restoring lost norms.

4. On Institutional Collapse and Response to Charlie Kirk’s Assassination

• Scathing criticism of media and political ritual around Charlie Kirk’s death: Schmidt: "Charlie Kirk was an outrage pimp... he provoked. He instigated... Culture war theatrics." (11:00)
• The “forced grieving” at public events, and Cardinal Dolan’s comparisons to St. Paul, are called "absurdism."
• Notes that exploitative politicization of Kirk’s death is being used by the right to attack political opponents, scapegoat minorities, and foment fascist narratives.
• Draws historical parallels:
  Schmidt: "And the Nazis did this. The guy’s name is Horst Wessel... elaborate rallies... the language you’re hearing of the administration and targeting every transgender person... what that makes you is a Nazi." (15:20)

5. On Freedom and Hope

• Urges listeners to stand up against the chilling of speech. Schmidt: "The cowardice that you’re seeing is extraordinary to behold... The chilling of speech is very real. The terror is very real. I just urge people to rebel against it. Stand up, up, up." (03:18)

Karen Attiah on Her Firing and Press Freedom

(20:02–41:41)

1. Background and Career at The Washington Post

• Attiah details her 11-year career: digital producer, global opinions editor, hiring Jamal Khashoggi as a columnist, and, in 2021, promotion to columnist.
• Her editorial philosophy: fostering robust, even uncomfortable debate, per Jeff Bezos’ directive to be “provocative” and “swashbucklers.”
  Attiah: "I care so much about protecting people's rights to speak, even when I don't agree with them... My job is still to try to encourage robust debate, especially about debate that is uncomfortable." (24:38)

2. The Firing Incident

• Attiah recounts that after the Kirk assassination, her first social media response was not commentary about Kirk personally, but about America’s toxic gun culture and political violence.
• Attiah: “America is sick. We're a country that worships violence while claiming to have these cliches.” (29:00)
• Only reference to Kirk: calling out his history of racism, especially against Black women.
• The next day, she received a “notice of termination,” without conversation—despite her years of award-winning work, especially defending press freedom post-Khashoggi’s murder. (31:29)

3. The Precedent and Chilling Effect

• Attiah calls out The Post for accusing her of racism against white men for discussing patterns of violence—a precedent that muzzles genuine discourse on race and power. Attiah: “Are we in a country where we can't talk about...domestic anti-government, domestic terror, mass shootings. It sadly has been a certain demographic. Now they're saying I can't say that.” (34:30)
• Notes media cowardice and timidity, with mainstream outlets refusing to platform her after the firing.

4. Commentary on Charlie Kirk, Hypocrisy, and Media Siloing

• Details Kirk’s bigoted public statements, his reputation as a “Christian leader” to some, and the vast gulf between how different communities saw him due to media and internet siloing. Attiah: “There are so many people who have no idea what he said about black people...he was so many different things to different people, which is why it's so difficult to really pin him down. And that's precisely because the Internet keeps us siloed." (37:57–38:54)

5. Moving Forward: Resistance and Independent Media

• Announces she’ll be teaching on race, media, and international affairs at resistanceummerschool.com and starting a Substack. Attiah: “I'm in my rogue radical professor era...I hope to see a lot more of me on Substack for sure.” (33:58)
• Promises to publish her termination letter to push back against misinformation about her case.
• Laments that The Post now has “no black staff columnists,” reflecting a wider collapse in media diversity and courage.

Notable Quotes & Memorable Moments

• Steve Schmidt (re: ABC/Disney):
  "I was personally scouting out locations for them [cowardice billboards] earlier today…unless I have a particular animus that's, that's been built up." (01:07)
• Jim Acosta:
  "Instead of paying bribes to Trump, extortion payments to Trump, they should be taking him to court. Do to Trump what Trump has done to the country. Tie him up in the courts." (05:08)
• Karen Attiah:
  “You being the first to invite me on...you have no idea how much this means to me. ...it’s just sadly a sign of the times for mainstream media, not just in this moment and the culture of fear.” (21:27)
• Attiah on The Post's reasoning:
  "They claimed that I disparaged Kirk on the basis of race...basically they're accusing me of being racist...when I specifically said I was talking about violent white men." (34:30)
• Acosta on legacy media:
  “Absolutely terrible what's happened to that newspaper, but it's happening across the board with our media now, our corporate media, they've just completely failed us. The Jimmy Kimmel case is just the latest example.” (32:14)

Key Timestamps

• 00:06 – 03:18: Schmidt on ABC/Disney cowardice, First Amendment, culture of intolerance
• 03:18 – 06:27: FCC involvement, Trump pressure, threatening networks
• 06:27 – 08:32: Legal/political solutions, breaking up monopolies
• 11:00 – 13:46: Forced grieving, Kirk’s legacy, rise of scapegoating and fascist rhetoric
• 15:20 – 17:33: Nazi parallels; firing of Matthew Dowd, chilling effects in media
• 20:02 – 24:38: Attiah’s career at The Post, editorial principles, background with Khashoggi
• 27:27 – 31:29: Attiah’s reaction to Kirk assassination, her posts, and abrupt firing
• 33:58 – 34:30: Plans for teaching, Substack, resisting media fear
• 34:30 – 38:54: Double standards on race and violence, Kirk as a polarizing legacy

Episode Takeaways

• Media is in crisis: Both major incidents—Jimmy Kimmel’s firing and Karen Attiah’s dismissal—are symptoms of a worsening climate for press freedom and robust debate, with increasing government and corporate intimidation.
• First Amendment under threat: The real danger is not just government action but corporate and institutional pre-emptive compliance, which silences dissent and marginalizes uncomfortable truths.
• Independent media is vital: Both Acosta and Attiah argue that only independent platforms currently have the freedom to host difficult conversations and truth-telling once defended by legacy institutions.
• Hope lies in resistance: Listeners are urged to resist the chilling of speech, support diverse and courageous voices, and continue insisting on robust, sometimes uncomfortable public conversations.