We need uncontrolled laughter

AUTHORITARIANS HISTORICALLY COME FOR THE COMICS first.

- BY LIZZ WINSTEAD

In Vladimir Putin’s Russia, satirist Idrak Mirzalizade was jailed and expelled for mocking Russian housing. In Egypt, Bassem Youssef—dubbed the “Jon Stewart of the Arab world”—was forced off the air and into exile after satirizing the country’s leadership. Authoritarians are attacking these folks first because laughter is power.

The reason you see so many comedians banding together right now is that we understand that none of us are safe, even those who have an act that isn’t “political.” When Stephen Colbert was targeted earlier this year, I warned that this wasn’t a one-off. Then they came for Jimmy Kimmel. There is no predicting what joke might set off this particular malignant narcissist in chief, so really, who’s to say who is next? The answer is all of us. Any of us.

A week after ABC pulled Jimmy Kimmel Live! off the air for its host saying the “MAGA gang” was “desperately trying to characterize this kid who murdered Charlie Kirk as anything other than one of them” and trying to “score political points from it,” the network brought the show back following significant blowback from fans. A win, sure—but also a cautionary tale.

Kimmel’s suspension wasn’t a response to an audience backlash to the comments. Advertisers weren't threatening to bolt. And I highly doubt ABC was caught off guard. I know firsthand how network lawyers comb through every word of a script several times before it airs. If they objected, it never would have made it to your TV.

This happened because President Donald Trump is attempting to silence his critics, especially influential critics with big platforms—even if wielding the power to do so violates the Constitution, according to legal scholars. Kimmel’s reinstatement doesn’t change the fact that the government interference was real, and the network caved, albeit temporarily, when it was threatened.