Wednesday’s New York Times includes a curious but telling headline: “Jimmy Kimmel, Somber but Defiant, Defends Free Speech in Return to ABC.”
The previously suspended late-night comic had been taken off the air for suggesting the “MAGA gang” was “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 had also accused President Trump and his supporters of “working very hard to capitalize on the murder.”
Days of additional controversy ensued with various people coming to the host’s defense, if not agreeing with him outright, at least suggesting he had a right to say it.
One major problem: Jimmy Kimmel certainly has his First Amendment rights, but that doesn’t mean his employer, ABC, must provide him with a platform to say whatever he wants to say.
Nevertheless, network executives relented and welcomed him back to the airwaves on Tuesday night. Kimmel’s first show included a pseudo-apology along with additional commentary on free speech.
The New York native said his previous comments were “ill-timed, or unclear, or maybe both.” He also stated, “It was never my intention to make light of the murder of a young man.”
Kimmel then pivoted and observed, “This show is not important. What’s important is that we get to live in a country that allows us to have a show like this.”
He’s certainly right on the first point, but many might quibble with the second.
But the politicization and weaponization of late-night television overall begs the question:
Aren’t comedians supposed to be funny?
Late-night television comedy might only date to the beginnings of the medium itself, but the art of making people laugh for a living goes back well beyond the 1940s. Ancient Greece had its satirical plays, and ancients Romans were known for their slapstick. There were medieval court jesters and then later on, Shakespearian comedies. Mark Twain, though best known as a writer, was also something of a stand-up comic. Then came vaudeville, radio comedies and movies.
Steve Allen is credited with being the first modern-day late-night comedian. He was followed by Jack Parr and then Johnny Carson. Hosting the Tonight Show for nearly 30 years, Carson, the former magician-turned-comic, has long been considered the gold-standard for the genre.
Comedy is subjective, of course, and Christians are wise to navigate it thoughtfully and carefully. It was the apostle Paul who warned believers, “Let there be no filthiness nor foolish talk nor crude joking, which are out of place, but instead let there be thanksgiving” (Eph. 5:4). He also said we’re to be extremely discerning with what we consume. Writing to the church at Philippi, he cautioned, “Whatever is true, whatever is honorable, whatever is just, whatever is pure, whatever is lovely, whatever is commendable, if there is any excellence, if there is anything worthy of praise, think about these things” (4:8).
Instead of being so focused on free speech, maybe today’s comedians should be focused on what’s funny. Rather than trying to tear people down with a humorless harangue, about trying lift people with wholesome humor?
Christians looking to laugh might want to check out such comics as Jeff Allen, Ken Davis, Chonda Pierce, Nate Bargatze, John Crist, Tm Hawkins, Jonnie W., Mike Goodwin and Michael Jr.
You can be sure those nine comedians won’t spend a good portion of their show in a “somber and defiant” posture but instead making you laugh as comedians are supposed to do.
Image from Getty.
