Friday, September 19, 2025

Jimmy Kimmel's ouster sparks free speech debate

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This is America

Stories of justice and action across America

Fri Sep 19 2025

Comedian Jimmy Kimmel's suspension in the aftermath of the Charlie Kirk assassination has sparked a national debate about the health of free speech in America.

Hey there, This is America readers, Phillip M. Bailey, chief political correspondent for USA TODAY.

The First Amendment is under attack, advocates say, in a myriad of ways and Kimmel − a longtime critic of President Donald Trump − being booted from the airwaves is the latest flashpoint that is alarming liberals and conservatives.

ABC, the Walt Disney-owned network, indefinitely pulled its flagship late-night talk show over comments the comedian made on a Sept. 15 episode regarding the fatal shooting of the conservative commentator.

Many of Kirk's supporters are cheering the show's shelving, arguing that Kimmel's monologue misled the public by mischaracterizing the political beliefs of the alleged killer.

But Democrats and others say the Trump administration's fingerprints are all over the dismissal given how Brendan Carr, chair of Federal Communications Commission, sharply criticized the comedian's comments hours before the network pulled the plug.

Jimmy Kimmel delivers the opening monologue during the 96th Oscars at the Dolby Theatre at Ovation Hollywood in Los Angeles on March 10, 2024.

Jack Gruber, USA TODAY

For more on what's happening with the Trump, Kimmel and free speech see the USA TODAY Network's coverage:

•	'Call their employer.' In the wake of Kirk's killing, MAGA seeks to cancel his critics
•	'They're not allowed to do that.' President Trump is set to attend a memorial for the conservative activist on Sept. 21, and he is renewing a call to punish protesters and broadcasters who criticize him. It's a move his political rivals, including former Vice President Kamala Harris, call a "frontal assault on free speech."
•	Is hate speech free speech? What to know after Kirk's death as lawmakers and influencers over pushed for scores of Americans to face what some right-leaning activists are calling "consequence culture" as more than 100 people across the country have already faced investigations or firings for making remarks.

Campbell Soup did what? Admits to polluting a river... 5,468 times

M'm! M'm! Not so good.

It probably flew underneath your radar this week, but Campbell Soup Supply Company, LLC was in a messy environmental case where it admitted that over a roughly 6-year period it regularly went over discharge or waste limits imposed by the Clean Water Act.

Waste from the facility in question entered the Maumee River which runs across the northwest of Indiana and Ohio, and feeds into Lake Erie . The lawsuit claimed Campbell, known for its variety of soups, violated the federal law more than 5,400 times leading to ammonia, E. coli, total residual chlorine, pH, oil and grease entering the waterway.

Environmentalists say Campbell's must now figure out how to "clean up their operations and prevent further exceedances of the permit limits." They are particularly troubled by phosphorus, which can lead to toxic algae, entering the river because it creates "this nasty, green slime" that covers larger parts of Lake Erie that is toxic to wildlife, humans and pets.

Thanks for reading! See you back next week with more stories of justice from across the country.