White House press secretary Karoline Leavitt, in conversation with Fox News’ Kayleigh McEnany on her show “Saturday in America,” has refuted the allegations of former President Barack Obama concerning the indefinite suspension of “Jimmy Kimmel Live.”
Leavitt stated, “With all due respect to former President Obama, he has no idea what he’s talking about,” asserting that the decision to discontinue Kimmel’s show was a direct consequence of actions taken by executives at ABC.
Reports indicate that Obama criticized the current administration for intensifying cancel culture and suggested an unjust usage of government power to coerce media companies. “This is precisely the kind of government coercion that the First Amendment was designed to prevent,” he noted in a missive posted on Thursday.
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Leavitt assured viewers that the action against Kimmel was independent of any influence from the White House and that President Donald Trump exerted no pressure on the network regarding this matter. The press secretary claimed that she was the source of this news for Trump during their U.K. visit. At the time, she asserts, the president “had no idea this was happening.”
“The evidence suggests that ABC decided in light of Kimmel’s choice to disseminate misinformation about a respected figure during a period of national mourning,” she stated, implying that the host was now facing repercussions for his actions.
ABC’s parent company, Disney, confirmed on Wednesday that Kimmel’s Los Angeles-based show would be pulled “indefinitely.” Furthermore, Nexstar Media Group and Sinclair Broadcast Group, owning hundreds of television stations, announced they would preempt Kimmel’s show on their ABC affiliates for the foreseeable future.
Andrew Alford, Nexstar’s broadcasting chief, termed Kimmel’s comments about the death of Mr. Kirk as offensive and insensitive. He expressed doubt that these remarks represented the diverse spectrum of opinions, views, or values of the local communities in which they were located.
To understand this fully, we should note that Kimmel was accused of misrepresenting conservative views, trying to link a left-wing ideology to the 22-year-old suspect, Tyler Robinson. Leavitt noted that while Trump is “pleased with this decision,” he had nothing to do with the show being pulled. She suggested that the network’s decision was more likely due to business considerations, given Kimmel’s declining ratings.
In summary, the White House press secretary denies any presidential influence in the suspension of Kimmel’s show, asserting this as a network decision in response to the host’s controversial comments. The debate over media censorship continues as we await further developments.
