By Martha McHardy

Copyright newsweek

Former President Barack Obama has called for freedom of speech to be protected after ABC suspended late-night talk show Jimmy Kimmel Live! in the wake of conservative activist Charlie Kirk’s fatal shooting.”This commentary offers a clear, powerful statement of why freedom of speech is at the heart of democracy and must be defended, whether the speaker is Charlie Kirk or Jimmy Kimmel, MAGA supporters or MAGA opponents,” he wrote on X, formerly Twitter. He went on to share an article in the New York Times by former attorney David French, who he said “devoted much of his legal career to defending the First Amendment rights of conservative writers and scholars.”The former president also shared an excerpt from an 1860 essay written by abolitionist Frederick Douglass titled “A Plea for Freedom of Speech in Boston,” where he argued that true liberty requires the freedom to express thoughts and opinions.This follows remarks made by Kimmel about Tyler Robinson, who was charged with murder in relation to Kirk’s death.Why It MattersThe backlash over Kimmel’s comments comes at a moment when America is deeply polarized over political violence and free speech. Kirk’s assassination on September 10 has become a flash point: supporters hailed him as a leading MAGA voice for young conservatives, while reactions to his death have ranged from outrage to celebration. In such a volatile climate, remarks that appear dismissive or insensitive can end careers, as networks and broadcasters face mounting pressure to act.The controversy also underscores how fraught the political environment has become, following a string of high-profile attacks, including the attempt on Donald Trump’s life in 2024 and the killing of a Democratic lawmaker in Minnesota this year.What To KnowOn Thursday, in another post on X, Obama urged media companies to stop giving in to the Trump administration”After years of complaining about cancel culture, the current administration has taken it to a new and dangerous level by routinely threatening regulatory action against media companies unless they muzzle or fire reporters and commentators it doesn’t like,” Obama wrote.”This is precisely the kind of government coercion that the First Amendment was designed to prevent — and media companies need to start standing up rather than capitulating to it,” Obama added, linking to a New York Times article about the firing of Washington Post columnist Karen Attiah, who said she was let go for her comments on social media after Kirk’s death.It follows remarks Kimmel made in a monologue after Kirk’s death about MAGA and 22-year-old Tyler Robinson, the alleged killer.”We hit some new lows over the weekend with the MAGA Gang desperately trying to characterize this kid who murdered Charlie Kirk as anything other than one of them and doing everything they can to score political points from it,” Kimmel said.Robinson was taken into custody in connection with the killing. Utah Governor Spencer Cox said Robinson’s political ideology was “very different” from that of his conservative family during a “Meet the Press” appearance on Sunday.”There clearly was a leftist ideology with this—with this assassin,” Cox said. A motive for the killing has not yet been established.Kimmel also played a clip of President Trump being asked how he has been holding up since the killing, to which Trump responds: “I think very good,” before beginning to talk about plans for the new White House ballroom.”This is not how an adult grieves the murder of someone he called a friend, this is how a four-year-old mourns a goldfish,” Kimmel said.His remarks have provoked backlash, with Trump administration officials and MAGA activists interpreting them as an accusation that Robinson was from their pro-Trump movement. U.S. Attorney General Pam Bondi said threats of violence are federal crimes under the Constitution, and vowed to crack down on so-called “hate speech.”The Trump administration’s Federal Communications Commission (FCC), which regulates the networks, has also sharply criticized Kimmel’s comments, putting greater political and business pressure on the companies to take action.”This is a very, very serious issue right now for Disney,” FCC Chairman Brendan Carr said on Benny Johnson’s podcast. “We can do this the easy way or the hard way. These companies can find ways to take action on Kimmel or there will be additional work for the FCC ahead.”Meanwhile, Sinclair, which owns a number of ABC affiliates, announced it would be suspending Jimmy Kimmel Live! “until we are confident that appropriate steps have been taken to uphold the standards expected of a national broadcast platform.” Another major owner of ABC affiliate stations, Nexstar Communications Group, announced it would also pull the show beginning Wednesday. Nexstar is seeking regulatory approval from the Trump administration as the broadcaster wants to buy rival TEGNA in a deal reportedly worth $6.2 billion.Trump celebrated Kimmel’s suspension.”Great News for America: The ratings challenged Jimmy Kimmel Show is CANCELLED. Congratulations to ABC for finally having the courage to do what had to be done,” Trump said in a September 17 Truth Social post. “Kimmel has ZERO talent, and worse ratings than even Colbert, if that’s possible. That leaves Jimmy and Seth, two total losers, on Fake News NBC. Their ratings are also horrible. Do it NBC!!! President DJT.”But some Republicans have criticized the administration’s response to Kimmel’s remarks, citing Kirk’s own First Amendment stance to allow speech, even so-called hate speech, to be permitted.Former Vice President Mike Pence, in a CNBC interview, praised Kirk as a “defender of the First Amendment,” saying that his legacy should inspire renewed commitment to free speech. Pence warned that in the aftermath of Kirk’s assassination, Americans should avoid “putting America on trial” but instead focus on maintaining civility and open debate. But he also defended consequences for speech (e.g. people being suspended or fired) as part of free expression, rather than government censorship.Prominent conservative commentator Tucker Carlson questioned the Trump administration’s motives in an episode of his show that aired Wednesday in Kirk’s memory, arguing that it may try to use Kirk’s death as a pretext to target free speech and impose measures to suppress dissent.White House spokesperson Abigail Jackson said in a statement that while Kimmel can say what he wants, broadcasters don’t have to air it.”This has nothing to do with free speech—low-ratings loser Jimmy Kimmel is free to spew whatever bad jokes he wants, but a private company is under no obligation to provide him a platform to do so,” Jackson said.What Happens NextThe conversation surrounding Kirk’s killing, political violence and the broadness of free speech remains ongoing as lawmakers, government officials, the media and the general public continue to discuss last week’s events and possible future consequences.