By Kevin E G Perry
Copyright independent
Jimmy Kimmel’s cousin and longtime collaborator Sal Iacono says there are more “bombshells” yet to be revealed regarding the late-night host being pulled off the air.
Last week, Jimmy Kimmel Live! was removed “indefinitely” from television schedules by ABC after the host made controversial remarks about the political response to the arrest of Tyler Robinson, the suspected gunman behind the shooting of conservative activist Charlie Kirk.
Donald Trump celebrated Kimmel’s axing, calling it “Great News for America.”
Speaking on The Bill Simmons Podcast, Iacono said he didn’t want to reveal too much as he’s aware many Jimmy Kimmel Live! staff members could still lose their jobs, but continued: “I wish I could say anything. There are a couple bombshells still there. I’m feeling good. We’re going to be all right. Everything’s going to be just fine.”
He also agreed that Kimmel would be fine whatever happens in the fallout, agreeing with host Simmons when he said: “He’ll be fine, whatever he wants to do. He might just want to be a pop-up chef and start making barbecue around the South Bay. He’ll do a great job.”
On Sunday, John Oliver used the majority of his Last Week Tonight to address Kimmel’s situation, saying that “history will remember the cowards” in a blistering takedown of Disney CEO Bob Iger.
Oliver also criticized broadcasters Nexstar and Sinclair for pandering to the demands of the Trump-appointed chair of the FCC (Federal Communications Commisson) Brendan Carr, who had branded Kimmel’s comments “truly sick.”
“The sequence of events here could not be clearer, because it was all done in plain view,” Oliver said. “Carr leaned on broadcasters to take down Kimmel. They did that, sometimes even directly citing Carr while doing so, and then Carr celebrated with a fun GIF. That sure seems like a pretty clear case of the government pressuring companies to censor speech. And it’s not like Trump is even trying to hide it.”
Oliver then moved his attention to Iger, in light of ABC being owned by Disney. Addressing the CEO of the entertainment conglomerate, Oliver referenced the fact that he had voiced the role of Zazu in the 2019 Lion King remake, but was not invited back for last year’s prequel Mufasa: The Lion King, with Preston Nyman taking the part instead.
“Congratulations on recasting that role, by the way. It was a fun thing to learn about after the fact,” the comedian joked.
Turning his attention to Kimmel, Oliver said that “history is also going to remember the cowards who definitely knew better but still let things happen, whether it was for money, convenience or just comfort. I know this is something of a tough sell, and it can be a bit of anathema to risk-averse business leaders.”
“But I will say this,” he added. “If we’ve learnt nothing else from this administration’s second term so far – and I don’t think we have – it’s that giving the bully your lunch money doesn’t make him go away. It just makes him come back hungrier each time. They are never going to stop.”
Oliver then highlighted that Trump had also suggested that Jimmy Fallon and Seth Meyers’ late-night shows could be at risk, while Carr said it was “worthwhile” to investigate Whoopi Goldberg-fronted series The View.
“Look, at some point you’re going to have to draw a line,” Oliver continued. “So I’d argue, why not draw it right here? And when they come to you with stupid ridiculous demands, picking fights that you know you could win in court instead of rolling over, why not stand up and use four key words they don’t tend to teach you in business school?
“Not ‘OK, you’re the boss.’ Not ‘Whatever you say goes,’” said Oliver. “But instead, the only phrase that can genuinely make a weak bully go away. And that is, ‘F*** you, make me.’”
