Comedy was the original battleground for cancel culture. Kimmel changed everything.

• The future of comedy is up in the air as all eyes turn to Jimmy Kimmel and his return to ABC.
• Affiliate owners Nexstar and Sinclair will preempt the return of "Jimmy Kimmel Live!" on Tuesday, Sept. 23.
• The comedian makes his return after immense public backlash to ABC's decision and pressure from both sides of the political aisle.

In his speech in 2022 accepting the prestigious Mark Twain prize for comedy, Jon Stewart quipped that comedy was "the banana peel in the coal mine."

"Comedy doesn’t change the world, but it’s a bellwether," the longtime host of Comedy Central's "The Daily Show" said. "When a society is under threat, comedians are the ones who get sent away first. ... Authoritarians are the threat to comedy, to art, to music, to thought, to poetry, to progress, to all those things." If only he knew how prescient those remarks would be. 

Society has been rocked in the past seven days by comedy and politics, by debates about authoritarianism and free speech, and by a reckoning about the great divide across the United States. And it all started with a banana peel in a coal mine.

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When ABC late-night talk show host Jimmy Kimmel made a comment about the murder of conservative activist Charlie Kirk, the comedian probably did not know that he would be at the center of a storm that included President Donald Trump, the chairman of the Federal Communications Commission, the Walt Disney Co. and every talking head on TV. He probably thought he was just doing his comedy, just spouting off his nightly monologue like he does four times a week at 11:35 p.m. ET on "Jimmy Kimmel Live!"

But maybe, like Stewart, he knew that comedy is far more powerful and impactful in our society than we realize. Now the future of comedy is up in the air as all eyes turn to Kimmel and his compatriots and three long years remain in Trump's second term.

Disney had to bring Jimmy Kimmel back after the backlash

Within days, Kimmel was criticized by FCC Chairman Brendan Carr, pulled from the air by his network and affiliate owners Nexstar and Sinclair, lambasted by the right and defended by the left, and then reinstated by ABC and parent company Disney after immense public backlash.

Though many pundits, politicians and members of the public supported Disney's decision, which came after Nexstar and Sinclair had already pulled "Kimmel" from their ABC affiliates (Nexstar is seeking regulatory approval from the Trump administration for a merger), the blowback was far louder.

By Monday, Sept. 22, Disney had no choice but to reinstate Kimmel. The pressure was coming from both sides of the political aisle, from everyday fans and even from Mouse House's own ex-CEO Michael Eisner, who came out of retirement to publicly scold the corporation − and current CEO Bob Iger − on X.

Liberal Sen. Bernie Sanders was agreeing with conservative Sen. Ted Cruz that Disney was in the wrong. Disney's own stars, from Pedro Pascal to Mark Ruffalo, condemned their choice. Social media was full of stories of purported Disney fans, even those who call themselves "Disney adults," canceling their Disney+ subscriptions en masse.

Comedy, censorship and cancellation have a long history

Comedy has long been the battleground of "cancel culture," the idea that public and private figures can have their livelihoods and reputations soiled by words and deeds. One side of the debate might say that people get canceled for minor offenses and society is too sensitive. The other side would counter that there are natural consequences for every action. Both sometimes incorrectly cry "censorship" or bring up the First Amendment when figures lose jobs, but it doesn't become a real matter of free speech unless the government gets involved.

Midcentury comedian Lenny Bruce was routinely arrested for "obscenity" for his comedy routines that touched on sex and current events, sometimes pulled from the stage. In the 1960s, the Smothers Brothers, aka Tom and Dick Smothers, pushed the boundaries of what was considered appropriate social comedy in their CBS series, clashing with the network over their content and hosting Black civil rights activist Harry Belafonte on the show. The network canceled their series, and the duo sued for breach of contract and won.

"Seinfeld" star Michael Richards' career never recovered from a clip of a racist, profanity-laden rant that circulated in 2006. ABC kicked Roseanne Barr off the revival of her own show after she posted a racist tweet. Bill Cosby was accused of sexual assault by dozens of women and was arrested and convicted (his conviction was later overturned), ending any chance the aging comedian would work again. And some "cancellations" have been considerably softer: Netflix employees protested the streaming service's deal with Dave Chappelle over his remarks about the transgender community, but the comedian didn't lose a single moment of airtime or a dollar in his deal.

Kimmel's circumstances were far different from those of any of his forebears: The government got involved, quickly and loudly, after remarks he made on the Sept. 15 broadcast of his show outraged many conservatives, who faulted Kimmel for suggesting Kirk's accused killer was also conservative. ABC was directly pressured to censor Kimmel by FCC Chairman Carr, who used the threatening words "We can do this the easy way or the hard way,” and "You could certainly see a path forward for suspension over this." This was no longer about natural consequences or a private corporation trying not offend its consumers. Now it was about free speech.

What's next for comedy in a post-Kimmel cancellation world?

Kimmel's roundabout with ABC was a more extreme example of two other recent dustups between comedians and Trump and his allies. CBS announced that Stephen Colbert's "The Late Show" would end in 2026, a move heavily scrutinized because Colbert is a frequent Trump critic and the network's parent company was seeking regulatory approval from the Trump administration for a merger. Comedian Amber Ruffin lost her gig hosting the White House Correspondents' Dinner this year after criticism from Trump White House Deputy Chief of Staff Taylor Budowich.

But will this have a chilling effect on the biggest voices in comedy moving foward? Based on the initial reactions to Kimmel's plight, the answer is a resounding no. Comedians, particularly those already inclined to include politics in their punchlines, are likely to be galvanized by the whole episode, pushing their jokes and viewpoints with greater vigor even as Trump personally targets them in his social media posts and media comments. Seth Meyers, Colbert, HBO's John Oliver and Stewart have not missed a beat in their usual critiques of Trump. And if the president and his allies continue to push the boundaries of free speech, they are likely to continue to receive backlash not just from their enemies but also their allies who advocate strongly for the First Amendment.

But those comedians will not be without opposition from outside the Trump administration, too. Disney may have reinstated Kimmel, but affiliate owners Sinclair and Nexstar remain determined to preempt "Jimmy Kimmel Live!" The eyes of the nation will be on the former star of "The Man Show" as he returns to his stage in Los Angeles on Tuesday, Sept. 23. Will he lambaste his corporate overlords? Apologize for some or all of what he said? Surprise us all with an appearance from longtime friend/foe Matt Damon?

Whatever Kimmel says when he returns, we should all celebrate his right to say it.