Email not displaying correctly?
View it in your browser ([link removed]) .
[link removed]
[link removed]


** OPINION
------------------------------------------------------------


** Jimmy Kimmel returns to ABC with defiant and empathetic monologue
------------------------------------------------------------
A man holds a sign that says "Welcome Back Jimmy" in front of the Jimmy Kimmel Live studio on Hollywood Boulevard on Tuesday night in Los Angeles. (AP Photo/Chris Pizzello)

After a suspension that lasted nearly a week and created a firestorm of debate in America over free speech, ABC late-night host Jimmy Kimmel returned to the air ([link removed]) Tuesday night.

And what a return it was.

An emotional Kimmel showed empathy over the death of right-wing influencer Charlie Kirk, but mostly struck a defiant tone defending free speech and criticizing the Trump administration for trying to silence that right.

Along the way, he slipped in a few humorous zingers for an 18-minute monologue that was tone perfect and what you would expect from the talented Kimmel. Almost assuredly, some on the right will think Kimmel wasn’t contrite enough, but it was clear Kimmel was looking to achieve two goals in his opening monologue: One was to (briefly) explain the remarks that led to his suspension, and the other was to fiercely defend the First Amendment.

Kimmel was greeted with a lengthy and rousing standing ovation by the studio audience and chants of “Jimmy, Jimmy, Jimmy.”

Kimmel later drew another standing ovation when he said, “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 thanked those who reached out to him over the past week, including current and former late-night talk-show hosts. And he thanked the audience for their support.

“Weirdly, maybe most of all,” Kimmel said, “I want to thank the people who don’t support my show and what I believe, but support my right to share those beliefs anyway.”

He then went on to mention the likes of conservatives such as Clay Travis, Candace Owens and Senators Mitch McConnell, Rand Paul and Ted Cruz.

“It takes courage for them to speak out against this administration,” Kimmel said, “They did and they deserve credit for it.”

It was then that Kimmel became emotional as he began talking about the comments that got him suspended.

He teared up and his voice noticeably cracked when he said, “I have no illusions about changing anyone’s mind, but I do want to make something clear, because it’s important to me as a human and that is you understand that it was never my intention to make light of the murder of a young man. I don’t think there’s anything funny about it. … Nor was it my intention to blame any specific group for the actions of what was obviously a deeply disturbed individual. That was really the opposite of the point I was trying to make.”

Kimmel added that he understood how his remarks last week might have “felt either ill-timed or unclear or maybe both.” He added, “For those who think I did point the finger, I get why you’re upset.”

Kimmel then said the person to blame for Kirk’s death represented no particular group, adding, “This was a sick person who believed violence was a solution, and it isn’t. Ever.”

That was really the only reference he made to the specific remarks that drew the ire of the right — especially Federal Communications Commission chairman Brendan Carr, who suggested on a conservative podcast last week that Kimmel could be taken off the air.

Kimmel blasted Carr, even putting Carr’s threats to take Kimmel off the air on the screen.

“In addition to being in direct violation of the First Amendment,” Kimmel said, “it’s not a particularly intelligent thing to say in public. … This genius said it on a podcast.”

Kimmel also pointed out that Carr, in the past, has defended satire and comedy as important to democracy. He also played a clip of Trump defending free speech, and another of Trump criticizing Kimmel for having no talent and no ratings.

Kimmel cracked, “Well, I do tonight! You almost have to feel sorry for him. He tried his best to cancel me. Instead, he forced millions of people to watch the show. That backfired bigly. He might have to release the Epstein Files to distract us from this now.”

Regarding ABC, Kimmel thanked the network for his show, and for allowing him to use their platform to express his views even though it probably makes them uncomfortable at times.

“With that said,” Kimmel said, “I was not happy when they pulled me off the air. I did not agree with that decision.”

Still, Kimmel admitted that even though ABC didn’t have to put him back on the air, they did, and he was appreciative.

Kimmel then returned to Trump, saying the president wants to see hundreds who work on Kimmel’s show — and other late-night shows — fired “because he can’t take a joke.”

Kimmel also warned the audience that Trump is going after journalists and news organizations, pointing specifically to the Pentagon requiring credentialed reporters to sign a pledge saying they wouldn’t report anything that isn’t released by the Defense Department.

“They want to pick and choose what the news is,” Kimmel said. “I know that’s not as interesting as muzzling a comedian, but it’s so important to have a free press, and it’s nuts that we aren’t paying more attention to it.”

He called silencing anyone “unAmerican.”

He then closed his opening segment by again becoming emotional while speaking about Charlie Kirk’s wife, Erika, who said she had forgiven the man who shot her late husband.

Kimmel said, “A selfless act of grace — forgiveness from a grieving widow. It touched me deeply. And if there’s anything we should take from this tragedy to carry forward, I hope it can be that. Not this.”

Before the show aired, Trump reacted angrily on Truth Social ([link removed]) . He wrote, in part, “I can’t believe ABC Fake News gave Jimmy Kimmel his job back. The White House was told by ABC that his Show was cancelled!”

At no point did ABC ever say publicly that Kimmel's show was permanently canceled.

Trump also suggested that Kimmel was an “arm of the DNC” and “that would be a major Illegal Campaign Contribution.”

Using that theory, he said he might sue ABC, writing “I think we’re going to test ABC out on this. Let’s see how we do. Last time I went after them, they gave me $16 Million Dollars. This one sounds even more lucrative. A true bunch of losers! Let Jimmy Kimmel rot in his bad Ratings.”

Meanwhile, Carr has tried to distance himself from any suggestion that his comments last week were an infringement on freedom of speech or played any role in ABC’s decision to suspend Kimmel’s show. Carr insists it was a decision made by ABC and its affiliates.

Carr also has said the suspension was because of Kimmel’s low ratings. However, The New York Times’ Benjamin Mullin reported ([link removed]) , “​​Two people with knowledge of Disney’s discussions about the suspension said that Mr. Kimmel’s audience size had nothing to do with the decision.”

After the opening monologue about the suspension and a commercial break, Kimmel returned with a second, more traditional late-night segment that included legendary actor Robert DeNiro hilariously acting as a mob version of the FCC chairman. Then Kimmel skewered Trump’s day speaking at the United Nations, as well as comments earlier this week about Tylenol.

A NOTE FROM POYNTER

Celebrate Poynter’s 50th anniversary at the 2025 Bowtie Ball, honoring Jane Pauley alongside Dean Baquet and G.B. “Garry” Trudeau. This signature evening brings together civic leaders, journalists and supporters to champion a free press. Secure your spot now for an unforgettable night of recognition and community in Tampa.

Get tickets ([link removed])


** Off the air
------------------------------------------------------------

On Tuesday morning, TV operator Nexstar joined Sinclair in announcing that it would continue to not air Kimmel’s show. After FCC chair Brendan Carr seemed to suggest on a conservative podcast last week that Kimmel’s show should be suspended, Nexstar and Sinclair announced that their stations would not air it. Shortly after, ABC announced Kimmel’s show was suspended “indefinitely.”

ABC announced Monday that it was lifting that suspension. Almost immediately, Sinclair said it would not air Kimmel’s return. Nexstar followed suit Tuesday, saying in a statement, “We made a decision last week to preempt 'Jimmy Kimmel Live!' following what ABC referred to as Mr. Kimmel’s 'ill-timed and insensitive' comments at a critical time in our national discourse. We stand by that decision pending assurance that all parties are committed to fostering an environment of respectful, constructive dialogue in the markets we serve.”

According to reports, Nexstar and Sinclair account for about 70 ABC affiliates, although that’s only about 25% of the country. So with 75% of the country still able to watch Kimmel through regular TV, as well as the millions who have access through streaming, the Nexstar-Sinclair boycotts might not do that much damage.

Nexstar’s decision to continue to ban Kimmel’s show comes as no surprise. Nexstar is in the process of acquiring another huge owner of TV affiliates, Tegna. But for that deal to go through, Nexstar will need approval from Trump, Carr and the FCC, which will have to significantly change its rules to approve a merger of two companies that big. Keeping Kimmel off the air, at least a little while longer, shows the kind of pushback that is likely to go over well with the Trump administration.


** Worst ever
------------------------------------------------------------

CNN’s Jake Tapper appeared on Monday night’s “Late Night with Seth Meyers” on NBC and directly spelled out just how troubling Kimmel’s suspension was.

Tapper told Meyers, “I thought it was pretty much the most direct infringement by the government on free speech that I’ve seen in my lifetime. Yeah, networks are allowed to cancel shows. It happens all the time. This was the FCC chairman saying, local affiliates, it’s time for you to say you’re not going to air Kimmel anymore. And then Nexstar, which is the largest owner of local affiliates, needs approval from Brendan Carr himself to let this merger go through. ‘Yes, sir, how high do you want me to jump, sir?’ They do it. And it’s just insane. It’s just insane.”


** Special guest: Chuck Todd
------------------------------------------------------------

A photo from the latest episode of "The Poynter Report Podcast."

Former longtime “Meet the Press” moderator Chuck Todd is my guest on the latest episode of “The Poynter Report Podcast,” ([link removed]) which is out today.

Todd talks about what he has been doing since he left NBC News earlier this year, his thoughts on the state of journalism, and how to make it in such a crowded media space. We also talked about his vision for how to help save journalism (think local sports!), and even some surprising and critical comments about former President Joe Biden.

And we talk about something many in the media are facing these days, which is how to reach an audience at a troubling time when so many are trying to avoid the news.

Todd told me, “I think about it all the time. I want people to have a similar feeling listening to my podcast as I do after I listen to Bill Simmons, which is I feel like I learned something, I feel like I laughed at something, I didn't feel like I wasted my time. But I felt like I enjoyed myself.”

Todd continued, “The problem with politics today is that some of the topics aren't very enjoyable, and I do worry about depressing people too much. My mother's a pretty good check on that. She'll be like, ‘Well, that was a dark episode.’ God bless my mother, but you know, the glass barely has condensation on it in her house sometimes. The glass isn't just half empty. It has been shattered. But I'm mindful of that. I miss the pre-Trump era, when you could have a little bit of fun with politics. I feel like we've punished fun. And in some ways, Trump sucked the fun out of it, which is … innocence is lost sometimes, right? And it just is what it is. But I am mindful of that. It's also why I think the best way to reach these people that want to tune out, is to go back and cover stories that help them live their lives.”

There’s much more in our interesting conversation. So check out the podcast. Aside from watching on YouTube ([link removed]) , you can also find the show on Apple ([link removed]) , Spotify ([link removed]) , and most places where you find podcasts.


** Olbermann-Jennings controversy
------------------------------------------------------------

Podcaster and former MSNBC and ESPN personality Keith Olbermann has publicly apologized to CNN conservative commentator Scott Jennings after posting (then deleting) two X posts that Olbermann said were misinterpreted.

Olbermann was on social media Monday responding to a post Jennings made about Jimmy Kimmel’s show. At one point, Olbermann posted “You’re next,” and he called Jennings an expletive. He followed that up with another post that said, “But keep mugging to the camera.”

While it appeared Olbermann saying Jennings would be the next one taken off TV (like Kimmel), Jennings apparently took it as a threat as if Olbermann was alluding to right-wing influencer Charlie Kirk, who was recently shot and killed. Jennings tagged FBI director Kash Patel so Patel could see what Olbermann had posted. Olbermann then deleted both posts.

He replaced his original posts with one that said ([link removed]) , “Now we get the fascists off real tv. That'd mean your career is next, Jennings. Send a tape to Real America 's Voice. But keep mugging to camera, amateur.”

On Tuesday, Olbermann posted screen grabs of his original posts and then wrote ([link removed]) , “I apologize without reservation to @ScottJenningsKY. Yesterday I wrote and immediately deleted 2 responses to him about Kimmel because they could be misinterpreted as a threat to anything besides his career. I immediately replaced them with ones specifying what I actually meant.”

He added ([link removed]) , “I oppose and condemn political violence, and the threat of it. All times are the wrong time to leave even an inadvertent impression of it — but this time is especially wrong. I should've acknowledged the deletion and apologized yesterday. I'm sorry I delayed.”


** Alden rebuffed — shareholders approve sale of Dallas Morning News to Hearst
------------------------------------------------------------

For this item, I turn it over to my colleague Rick Edmonds, Poynter’s media business analyst.

Unsurprisingly, Dallas News Corp. shareholders approved an $88 million sale of its Dallas Morning News to Hearst ([link removed]) at a special meeting Tuesday. Robert Decherd, who votes his family’s controlling classification of stock, had been adamant in saying he would back the Hearst deal against any competing offer from an affiliate of Alden Global Capital investment fund.

The Alden affiliate had offered $20 a share, while Hearst will pay $16.50. In a brief bidding war since the intended sale was announced in July, Hearst had upped its price from an original offer of $14. Non-family investors voted for the deal by a six to one margin.

The transaction gives Hearst a formidable Texas presence, owning newspaper outlets in the state’s four largest cities – Dallas, Houston, San Antonio and Austin. It also marks the end of 140 years of family control ([link removed]) of the Morning News. And with the sale, only three publicly traded newspaper companies remain — The New York Times, Gannett and Lee Enterprises.

Alden often competes when a paper or chain is in play for a sale. If successful, it runs those acquisitions with deep cost cuts other owners would not consider because of the impact on news quality. Earlier this year Alden bested Hearst with a higher bid and bought the Santa Rosa Press-Democrat in California wine country.


** A smashing success
------------------------------------------------------------

A little more than two years ago, ESPN signed former NFL punter-turned-podcaster Pat McAfee to a five-year, $85 million-plus licensing agreement to air his daily show. They also gave him a prominent spot on their popular “College GameDay” set.

And how has the ESPN-McAfee relationship worked out? Better than ESPN could’ve hoped for.

McAfee has been so good that the man in charge of content at ESPN wants McAfee for well beyond his current contract. On the “Sports Media with Richard Deitsch” ([link removed]) podcast out this week, Burke Magnus, ESPN’s director of content, told Deitsch, “No doubt about that. One hundred percent. I think his show is hitting on all cylinders. … He’s an incredible interviewer and conversationalist. There is a validation for athletes and executives to be on his show. Every commissioner wants to be on his show. Every athlete wants to be on the show. There’s a cool factor, a relevance factor. It’s fun and funny and entertaining. As we sit here today, I could not imagine our daytime schedule without his show.”


** Media tidbits
------------------------------------------------------------
* The latest from Media Matters’ Matt Gertz: “How Fox covers for Trump administration malfeasance.” ([link removed]) Gertz writes, “The job of a Fox News evening host isn’t to cover President Donald Trump and his administration, it’s to give them cover. The network’s stars are shameless propagandists who employ a variety of tactics to hide the president’s misdeeds from their viewers.”
* Nieman Lab’s Joshua Benton with “A look inside the AI strategies at The New York Times and The Washington Post.” ([link removed])
* Hall of Fame quarterback Drew Brees is joining ESPN’s “First Take” as a contributor. Brees, who spent the bulk of his career with the New Orleans Saints, will appear once a week on the show.


** Hot type
------------------------------------------------------------
* The New York Times’ Callie Holtermann with “Zackery Died After Climbing on Top of a Subway Train. Who Is to Blame?” ([link removed])
* President Donald Trump gave an off-the-charts combative speech before the United Nations on Tuesday. At one point, Trump said, “Your counties are going to hell.” And that was just one of the head-shaking things he said. Semafor described it as “remarks typical for the president at his rallies.” Except it wasn’t a rally. It was a UN speech! Here’s Louis Jacobson from Poynter’s PolitiFact with “Fact-check: Trump misleads about ending 7 wars, US economy, renewable energy in UN speech.” ([link removed])


** More resources for journalists
------------------------------------------------------------
* Stop wasting hours on repetitive tasks — automate them instead. Learn how ([link removed]) .
* Get training to track federal climate policy rollbacks and their local impacts. Enroll now ([link removed]) .
* Deepen your coverage of incarcerated women and women with incarcerated family members and get the chance to apply for one of five $10,000 reporting grants. Enroll now ([link removed]) .
* Master the tools to connect Washington decisions to local stories — essential coverage as the 2026 elections approach. Enroll now ([link removed]) .
* Turn your life story into a memoir in this pioneering virtual workshop led by Poynter's Director of Craft Kristen Hare, featuring accomplished authors as guest instructors. Enroll now ([link removed]) .
* Join a five-day, in-person workshop that gives new managers the skills they need to help forge successful paths to leadership in journalism, media and technology. Apply today ([link removed]) .

[link removed]
Help Poynter support journalism, truth and democracy. ([link removed])
GIVE NOW ([link removed])

ADVERTISE ([link removed]) // DONATE ([link removed]) // LEARN ([link removed]) // JOBS ([link removed])
Did someone forward you this email? Sign up here. ([link removed])
[link removed] [link removed] [link removed] [link removed] mailto:[email protected]?subject=Feedback%20for%20Poynter
[link removed]
[link removed]
[link removed]
[link removed]
[link removed]
© All rights reserved Poynter Institute 2025
801 Third Street South, St. Petersburg, FL 33701
If you don't want to receive email updates from Poynter, we understand.
You can change your subscription preferences ([link removed]) or unsubscribe from all Poynter emails ([link removed]) .