What Kimmel’s Return Really Says About Free Speech

<![CDATA[The news that ABC has quietly reinstated Jimmy Kimmel to his late-night perch is being sold as a triumph for free speech, but the truth is more cynical and more troubling. Kimmel was not fired because he made a joke or voiced an opinion; he was suspended because he refused to apologize. That distinction matters, though few in the media want to spell it out. In America, you can say just about anything you want — but your employer can still show you the door if you embarrass them. In Kimmel’s case, he was told to issue a mea culpa for the timing and tone of his remarks about Charlie Kirk. He didn’t, and that’s why his show went dark. To pretend this was a First Amendment battle is to miss the point entirely.]]>