What forced Jimmy Kimmel to take a brief “hiatus” is the same decision that may have cost Stephen Colbert the same job on a different network, and that is to use the platform to express their opinions on politics and political leaders under the guise of humor.
Because it can be really funny.
Their combined stance is the polar opposite of the man who elevated their respective jobs into one of the most sought-after, and watched, in America — the late night TV talk show host.
In 1979, comedian Johnny Carson, who died in 2005, was asked by “60 Minutes” about why he chose not to address anything political on “The Tonight Show.” Reporter Mike Wallace asked of Carson, “Do you get sensitive about the fact that people say, ‘He’ll never take on a serious controversy?’”
“Tell me the last time Jack Benny, Red Skelton — any comedian — used his show to do serious issues?” Carson said, referencing two of the more famous comedians of the previous generation. “That’s not what I’m there for. Can’t they see that?
“Why do you think just because you have ‘The Tonight Show’ you must deal in serious issues? That’s a danger. It’s a real danger. Once you start that, you start to get that self-important feeling that what you say has great import. And you know, strangely enough, you could use that show as a forum. You could sway people, and I don’t think you should as an entertainer.”
Since Carson was the most influential comedian and live performer of his era, that philosophy was embraced by seemingly every comic who sought his approval, and the chance to sit in the chair next to his desk. Until they didn’t.
Today, anything that was is no more, including entertainment’s take on an array of current events, or political issues. Since Donald Trump started to campaign for the presidency in 2015, political commentary wrapped in humor has become nearly cliche.
Kathleen Madigan agrees with Johnny Carson
While the material is sought after and enjoyed by a large enough audience to justify its practice, others reject it as a business decision. Because while it may be funny, the potential backlash and anger from those who don’t like it is not worth it.
“I agree with [Carson], for me. Jay Leno said the same thing as well, echoing Carson,” comedian Kathleen Madigan said in an interview with the Star-Telegram.
Madigan is scheduled to perform at 7 p.m. Saturday at Will Rogers Auditorium in Fort Worth.
“For what I do, I agree with that sentiment,” she said. “It’s weird, I used to do [Barack] Obama jokes because he was just so boring. In this current climate? I am not going near it.”
In 2025, CBS announced that it was canceling its “The Late Show with Stephen Colbert,” with a targeted ending in May this year. The network said it was ending the franchise over financial concerns, even though Colbert holds the top-rated show for his time slot.
Critics of the decision said the move was a result of Paramount, which owns CBS, agreeing to a $16 million settlement with Trump; the president had sued Paramount over what he claimed was “deceptive editing” during an episode of “60 Minutes” with former presidential candidate Kamala Harris.
Colbert has been one of Trump’s biggest critics, and on his show, he described the move to end the program as a “big fat bribe.”
Jimmy Kimmel controversy
For five days in September, another one of Trump’s biggest critics in comedy, ABC late night show host Jimmy Kimmel, was suspended by the network after he made comments about the murder of conservative podcaster Charlie Kirk. The suspension came after Brendan Carr, the chairman of the Federal Communications Commission, threatened action against ABC’s parent company, Disney.
It actually served to unify elected officials of both major parties to agree that this move was a threat to free speech, and Disney ended the suspension.
Few comedians can create this sort of attention, but for those who are on the road, grinding away and writing material to make a living, the threat of alienating their customers with political content isn’t worth the easy grab.
“People go to shows to escape all of that,” Madigan said. “I was never a political comedian to begin with. Maybe I had three or four jokes about [former Republican presidential hopeful Mitt Romney], but only because he was so boring.
“It’s all so heated now. There is no reason to go to that fire. There are the TV hosts who go too one-sided, and it becomes an echo chamber. If it’s too one-sided, you are alienating one side of your audience.”
Johnny Carson’s last show was May 22, 1992, and his retirement triggered an evolution in the approach to comedy, which today is a calculated business decision that some performers believe is awful for their careers.
Fort Worth Star-Telegram
Mac Engel is an award-winning columnist who has covered sports since the dawn of man; Cowboys, TCU, Stars, Rangers, Mavericks, etc. Olympics. Movies. Concerts. Books. He combines dry wit with 1st-person reporting to complement an annoying personality.
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