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As news settles about ABC indefinitely pulling Jimmy Kimmel off the air, some, including President Trump, are applauding the move, while others are protesting it. In the Bay Area’s comedy scene, some are reacting with concern about the potential impacts of Kimmel’s suspension.
In San Francisco, which is known for its comedy scene and comedy venues, you can find people lined up to catch a show on any given night. On Thursday night, fans in line to see a show in the city said they had heard about Disney-ABC suspending Kimmel over his comments about the man accused of shooting conservative activist Charlie Kirk.
“I was shocked, to be honest,” said Lulu Able Thomas of Concord.
Bay Area comedian Chelsea Bearce, who was performing that night, said news of what happened to Kimmel worried her.
“The hard thing is, we’re comedians, we’re supposed to be able to say what everyone else can’t, you know, and so when we start getting restricted, in trouble or censored for that, like, where do you draw the line?” she said.
Bearce said that she has heard from people in the local comedy scene who are worried about what this might mean for comedy clubs.
“Now, people are scared,” she said. “If they’re going after people who were ‘untouchable’, it’s like who’s to say all of us won’t be able to do what we do?”
Several people in San Francisco on Thursday declined to be interviewed by NBC Bay Area on camera because they were concerned about potential consequences they might face from the Trump administration for sharing their opinions about the topic.
Able Thomas noted that some people are worried to speak publicly about it because they fear it might impact their employment.
“It’s hard to get people to talk about the situation because they’re scared about what could happen to their job or if they say anything about the Jimmy situation,” he said.
On Thursday, President Trump was in London and praised the decision to suspend Kimmel.
“He said a horrible thing about a great gentleman, known as Charlie Kirk, and Jimmy Kimmel is not a talented person, he had very bad ratings, and they should have fired him a long time ago,” Mr. Trump said.
But in Southern California, people demonstrated outside the Hollywood theater where Jimmy Kimmel tapes his show, supporting him and saying his suspension is an attack on free speech.
Nolan Higdon, a political and media analyst with UC Santa Cruz, expects that Kimmel’s suspension will have far-reaching impacts.
“The whole nation can feel a chilling effect like this, whether you like Jimmy Kimmel or his politics is irrelevant,” Higdon said.
“It’s very plausible that someone– say at an open mic night at a bar — could be recorded, or someone on social media could document it correctly or incorrectly, and that person could be a victim of the ire of the government or supporters of the current administration,” he added.
Higdon noted that comedians and entertainers have historically played a significant role in debates around free speech in the United States.
He also said that any legal battles to come from this could have major ramifications.
“Because it’s going to say whether or not there is a line that government can cross by trying to influence private companies in corporations from censoring content,” he said.
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Alyssa Goard
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