Sunday, September 21, 2025

'The Daily Show' reacts to ABC suspending Jimmy Kimmel

I closed Colbert and Meyers take closer looks at ABC suspending Kimmel by telling my readers "I'm not done with the reactions to Kimmel being 'canceled.' Stay tuned for The Daily Show's response and its Emmy Awards for the Sunday entertainment [feature}..." I begin with Jon Stewart's Post-Kimmel Primer on Free Speech in the Glorious Trump Era | The Daily Show.

A humble, obedient Jon Stewart heaps praise upon America's Glorious Leader, Donald J. Trump, and provides an FCC-approved refresher on the rules of free speech in the wake of Jimmy Kimmel's suspension. Plus, the TDS News Team serenades the world's greatest, large-penised leader.
All Stewart needed to go full North Korean in this segment was to wear hanbok. Fortunately, he didn't have to keep up the schtick by himself all the way through. He was able to hand it off to the correspondents, one of whom, Ronny Chieng, knows something about living in a flawed democracy, having grown up in Malaysia and Singapore, which have similar ratings to the United States as of 2024. It shouldn't be long before the 2025 ratings come out. Let's see how much the U.S.'s number drops when they do. Any bets?

Kimmel's suspension didn't happen in a vacuum. For that context, I'm sharing Charlie Kirk Criticism Ignites MAGA Cancel Culture Spree | The Daily Show from Tuesday.

Desi Lydic unpacks the toxic internet landscape in the aftermath of Charlie Kirk’s assassination, where members of the Trump administration have called for people to lose their jobs for criticizing Kirk, the attorney general has seemingly forgotten the meaning of free speech, and Trump only wants to discuss White House renovations. Plus, Michael Kosta offers some solid reasoning for going back to the ‘80s.
I remember the 1980s. Going back would be fun, but only if I get to be 25 again. Otherwise, no.

I'm returning to Thursday's episode for Maria Ressa - Fighting Back Against Trump’s Authoritarian Algorithm With Truth | The Daily Show.

“It’s both deja vu and PTSD.” Maria Ressa, Nobel Peace Prize-winning journalist and author of the book “How to Stand Up to a Dictator,” sits down with Jon Stewart for a conversation about Trump’s authoritarian attacks on free speech in the wake of Disney taking Jimmy Kimmel off the air in fealty to the president and his hand-picked FCC Chair. Ressa, who in 2020 was jailed in the Philippines for her journalism criticizing the country’s former president Rodrigo Duterte, warns about the similarities between the dictatorship she lived under and the Trump administration. They also discuss how tech companies use authoritarian governments as case studies to inform their algorithms and manipulate democratic elections, and the importance in this political moment for Americans to take peaceful action before their rights are continually stripped away.
Hearing Ressa and Stewart talk about the collaboration between Donald "Hoover Cleveland" Trump's regime and Silicon Valley reminds me of the definition of fascism misattributed to Mussolini, "Fascism should more appropriately be called Corporatism because it is a merger of state and corporate power." While that's a compelling definition, there is no evidence that Mussolini wrote this and his uses of corporatism and corporate power refers to something different from the cyberpunk idea of rule by corporations. Darn, because it would be so useful.

As for Ressa prefering to call the current situation an information Armageddon instead of an information apocalypse and seeing this as a positive, that's certainly a Crazy Eddie position. I suppose I should approve, but I'm not convinced.

All of the above are reactions that address Kimmel's suspension indirectly or explain the environment in which it happened. Jordan Klepper on Jimmy Kimmel's Suspension & Trump's Free Speech Crackdown | The Daily Show tackled it head on.

On this week's Daily Show Precap, upcoming host Jordan Klepper sits down with writer Nicole Conlan to unpack the Jimmy Kimmel suspension, and describe working on Thursday's special "Government Approved" response episode. They also look ahead to what might be in the news next week, including the UN General Debate, New York Climate Week, and what they're watching to get their heads out of the news.
Speaking of "a merger of state and corporate power," Klepper's take pretty much summarizes the situation. This is about billionaires knuckling under to state power for more money. Sigh.

Enough of the reactions. Follow over the jump for the Emmy Awards won by spinoffs to The Daily Show.


The Daily Show proper won no Emmy Awards, but two of its spinoffs won three. I begin with the double award winner first by revisiting Emmy nominee 'Desi Lydic Foxsplains the Epstein Files' plus the rest of the short form nominees at the Emmy Awards.
Outstanding Short Form Comedy, Drama or Variety Series
  • The Daily Show: Desi Lydic Foxsplains (YouTube)
  • Late Night with Seth Meyers: Corrections (NBC)
  • The Rabbit Hole with Jimmy Kimmel (YouTube)
  • The Tonight Show: During Commercial Break (YouTube)
The Daily Show: Desi Lydic Foxsplains is the only nominee with a second nomination, Outstanding Performer In a Short Form Comedy or Drama Series, as the video description above proclaims. Since Gold Derby does not make predictions for the short form nominees means this is the one way I have to handicap this category. It helps that The Daily Show: Desi Lydic Foxsplains is my favorite, although I also enjoy The Rabbit Hole with Jimmy Kimmel, which I featured in Jimmy Kimmel says good-bye to Musk and plays 'TACO Man' for Trump. Just the same, Late Night with Seth Meyers: Corrections is a also a recurring nominee and The Tonight Show is running a Twitter/X campaign for The Tonight Show: During Commercial Break. NBCUniversal better hope they don't cancel each other out...
Outstanding Performer in a Short Form Comedy or Drama Series
  • Nathalie Emmanuel – Die Hart: Hart to Kill as Jordan King (Roku Channel)
  • Kevin Hart – Die Hart: Hart to Kill as himself (Roku Channel)
  • Desi Lydic – The Daily Show: Desi Lydic Foxsplains as herself (YouTube)
  • Tom Segura – Bad Thoughts as various Characters (Netflix)
  • J. K. Simmons – Die Hart: Hart to Kill as Jackson Pepper (Roku Channel)
The most nominated short form series is Die Hart: Hart to Kill with three nominations in this category. It probably should have been nominated for Outstanding Short Form Comedy, Drama or Variety Series, too, especially since that category only had four nominees. Again, I suspect vote splitting might hurt the three nominees from Die Hart: Hart to Kill unless the voters settle on one choice. That would be Lydic's best chance to win, but I expect it would help Tom Segura instead.
Looks like vote-splitting and the the third time being a charm pulled through for Lydic. Watch Gold Derby report Desi Lydic backstage at the 2025 Creative Arts Emmys for her reaction.

Desi Lydic won the Emmy for "The Daily Show: Desi Lydic Foxsplains" for Best Performer in a Short Form Comedy or Drama Series. Here she is backstage at the 2025 Creative Arts Emmys.
I second her emotions. Thank you and congratulations, indeed!


Now to revisit 'The Daily Show Presents: Jordan Klepper Fingers the Pulse: MAGA: The Next Generation' plus the Emmy nominees for Outstanding Hosted Nonfiction Series or Special.
Outstanding Writing for a Nonfiction Program
  • Chimp Crazy: "Head Shot" – Eric Goode, Jeremy McBride, Timothy Moran, Evan Wise, and Adrienne Gits (HBO)
  • Conan O'Brien Must Go: "Austria" – Conan O'Brien, Mike Sweeney, Jessie Gaskell, and José Arroyo (HBO)
  • The Daily Show Presents: Jordan Klepper Fingers the Pulse: MAGA: The Next Generation – Ian Berger, Jordan Klepper, Jennifer Flanz, Devin Delliquanti, and Scott Sherman (Comedy Central)
  • Martha – R.J. Cutler (Netflix)
  • Super/Man: The Christopher Reeve Story – Peter Ettedgui, Ian Bonhôte, and Otto Burnham (HBO)
As much as I enjoyed The Daily Show Presents: Jordan Klepper Fingers the Pulse: MAGA: The Next Generation and the trailer to Conan O'Brien Must Go, I think this will go to Martha because it's the only nominee with a WGA Award nomination; Super/Man: The Christopher Reeve Story didn't earn one and Chimp Crazy would be eligible at the next ceremony, so it could surprise me. I expect enough WGA members also belong to the Television Academy for that to make a difference. Electorates matter.
Just as I didn't like being right to be worried about Kimmel, I don't mind being wrong about Klepper. Congratulations on winning against such tough competition. That written, the video I embedded in July has since been made private. I don't know if that has anything to do with the ostensible reason for Kimmel's suspension, but I wouldn't be surprised if it does.

That's a wrap for today. Stay tuned for a double celebration of Hobbit Day on the Autumnal Equinox. I love holidays!

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