The Michael Knowles Show – Ep. 1818: "The Whole Jimmy Kimmel Firing Saga Is A Lie"

Date: September 19, 2025
Host: Michael Knowles (The Daily Wire)

Overview

In this episode, Michael Knowles addresses what he describes as widespread misinformation surrounding Jimmy Kimmel’s recent suspension from his late-night show. Knowles claims that, contrary to reports of governmental overreach, the real story behind Kimmel’s firing revolves around Kimmel’s own actions—specifically his spreading of falsehoods regarding the assassination of conservative commentator Charlie Kirk. The episode expands to analyze how the left allegedly weaponizes language to justify violence, the failures of modern liberal crime policy, and the dangers of cultural and moral decay as evidenced by the accused shooter’s background.

Key Discussion Points & Insights

1. The Real Story Behind Jimmy Kimmel's Firing

[01:44 – 05:28]

• Media Narrative vs. Reality:
  Knowles critiques the media for framing Kimmel as a free speech martyr, victimized by “Trump’s FCC,” an accusation he labels as demonstrably false.

  "Jimmy Kimmel lost his job because Trump's FCC wielded authoritarian power to pressure the company to fire him. That's the official story from the establishment media, which lies what actually happened." (Michael Knowles, 01:44)

• What Actually Happened:
  Knowles relies on the Hollywood Reporter to reveal that Kimmel was suspended after spreading a lie about Charlie Kirk’s assassination, and that pressure came primarily from Disney (Kimmel’s employer), sponsors, social media backlash, and ratings—not government intervention.

  "Kimmel's suspension came because of what he did and the natural consequences that come from companies and audiences and advertisers, all those normal things. Kimmel has no one to blame but himself." (05:09)

2. Justification of Violence via Language

[05:56 – 15:34]

• Weaponized Rhetoric:
  Focus on Rep. Rashida Tlaib’s comments and broader leftist rhetoric calling Trump a “fascist,” linking this to societal justification for violence against conservatives.

  "The political significance of the left calling the right fascist or Nazi is to justify our murder." (Michael Knowles, 07:35)

• Celebration and Minimization of Violence:
  Cites various online personalities (Stephen Bonnell, Hasan Piker) and social media reactions as evidence that many on the left minimize or even celebrate political violence.

  "Popular left-wing streamers...called for Republicans to fear for their lives when they go out to public events." (06:55) "If you say someone poses an existential threat to you, you are justifying the killing of that person." (09:54)

• Consequences for Inciters:
  Calls for continued firings and even legal action against those who incite violence.

  "The firings need to continue. The social stigma and ostracism needs to continue...We cannot tolerate this kind of behavior in society." (11:20)

3. The Role and Purpose of the FCC

[15:34 – 21:22]

• Deplatforming as Enforcement, Not Censorship:
  Knowles rejects arguments from centrists/liberals (Bari Weiss, The Free Press) that the right should not wield institutional power for fear of future consequences, insisting the FCC has a legitimate regulatory role in maintaining integrity in broadcast media.

  "If the point of the FCC is not to regulate what happens on public airwaves, what is the point of the FCC? There isn't one." (20:25)

• Limits of Laissez-faire Liberalism:
  Argues that hands-off policy has enabled destructive cultural trends and that active protection of public discourse is necessary.

4. Crime & Criminal Justice: Liberal vs. Conservative Philosophy

[21:22 – 29:21]

• Chicago Mayor’s Radical Approach:
  Critiques Chicago Mayor Brandon Johnson’s claim that “jails are a sickness” that don’t make anyone safer, contrasting the reality of violent crime in Chicago with liberal rhetoric.

  "Jails and incarceration and law enforcement is a sickness that has not led to safe communities." (Brandon Johnson, paraphrased by Knowles, 25:42)

• Punishment as Rehabilitation:
  Draws on Plato’s Gorgias to argue that punishing criminals is just and a form of mercy, necessary for both societal protection and for the offenders’ own reformation.

  “It’s actually an act of mercy to punish the guilty. It will help them to reform.” (27:00)

• Identity and Responsibility:
  Responds to Jasmine Crockett’s assertion that “just because someone has committed a crime, it doesn’t make them a criminal,” emphasizing that repeated actions mold identity.

  “Committing a crime does in fact make you a criminal.” (29:21)
  “Virtue and vice are habits. Virtuous people do a lot of virtuous things. Vicious people do a lot of vicious things.” (29:35)

5. Cultural Decay and the Shooter’s Background

[29:40 – 37:10]

• Degeneracy and Exposure:
  Details recently uncovered aspects of Charlie Kirk’s alleged assassin: addicted to pornographic ‘furry’ video games, nontraditional sexual identities, and links to explicit content depicting minors.

  “He was a profoundly sexually perverted person. I think we all have to admit that, candidly. And he was encouraged in his perversions by public resources like the Internet.” (32:59)

• Failures of Digital Regulation:
  Blames the erosion of legal protections from the ‘90s (Communications Decency Act, Child Online Protection Act) and laissez-faire cultural attitudes for fostering harmful environments, especially for vulnerable minds.

  “Had we properly regulated pornography...would that assassin have picked up that gun? He says he was driven by a sexual ideology to protect his trans furry boyfriend.” (36:12)

6. Rebuilding the Public Square

[37:11 – 39:35]

• Necessity of Boundaries:
  Advocates regulating obscenity and speech that incites violence as necessary measures to nurture free and rational discourse, not as violations of liberty.

  “Obscenity appeals to the prurient interest…It makes you less rational. This is why advertising tries to get up to the line of obscenity: because it prevents you from thinking in a rational way.” (36:56)

• Call to Action:
  After Kirk’s assassination, Knowles insists it’s time for conservatives to actively shape the marketplace of ideas and enforce civil norms.

Notable Quotes & Memorable Moments

• On media spin and Kimmel’s firing:

  “Kimmel's suspension came because of what he did and the natural consequences that come from companies and audiences and advertisers, all those normal things. Kimmel has no one to blame but himself.” (05:09)

• On leftist rhetoric justifying violence:

  “The political significance of the left calling the right fascist or Nazi is to justify our murder...To compare someone to Hitler is to say that any means would be acceptable to take that person out of society, go kill that person.” (07:35; 08:23)

• On the obligation to punish criminals:

  “It’s actually an act of mercy to punish the guilty. It will help them to reform...If you don't take the medicine, you're going to die. And if you allow criminals to persist in their crime…they're going to suffer a kind of a spiritual death.” (27:00–27:55)

• On the need for enforcement in public discourse:

  “There is nothing authoritarian about this. This is the basic enforcement of the law. This is the basic enforcement of the norms and standards that must exist for any kind of free society to continue.” (16:32)

• On how culture enabled the shooter’s depravity:

  “We now find out that the shooter was addicted to pornographic video games…That's not just a coincidence. That's part of the whole degeneration of this person's mind and…our public square.” (33:45)

Timestamps for Important Segments

| Timestamp | Segment Summary | |--------------|-------------------------------------------------------| | 01:44–05:28 | Media narrative vs reality on Jimmy Kimmel’s firing | | 05:56–15:34 | On leftist rhetoric, justification of violence | | 15:34–21:22 | The FCC, deplatforming, and Bari Weiss’s criticism | | 21:22–29:21 | Chicago crime policy, punishment, virtue, and identity| | 29:40–37:10 | Shooter’s background, pornography regulation failures | | 37:11–39:35 | Obscenity and rebuilding the marketplace of ideas | | 41:34–44:34 | Mailbag: dual citizenship and moral logic on abortion |

Mailbag Highlights

[40:47 – 44:34]

• How to find joy in personal life amid national tragedy.

  "Very horrible things happen every day in the fallen world. And good things happen, too...let it affect you. Mourn, grieve. That's all real. But recognize that the world is not totally lost." (41:34)

• Dual citizenship and competing loyalties.

  “To raise someone with two homes is really to deprive them of a home.” (44:21)

• The inconsistency of the left’s logic on bodily autonomy (abortion/organ donation).

  “It's a good observation. I like that. I don't like that that happens, but I like that observation.” (44:34)

Conclusion

This episode weaves together threads of media criticism, moral philosophy, political analysis, and cultural commentary with Knowles’ signature acerbic style. Challenging the accepted narrative about Jimmy Kimmel’s firing, Knowles accuses left-wing rhetoric of enabling and excusing violence, lambastes liberal crime policies, and calls for active, unapologetic enforcement of societal norms in media, law, and culture to guard against chaos and moral decay. The episode closes with mailbag reflections offering a more personal and philosophical tone.