Vox and the Marsh Family on free speech

I promised "Vox and the Marsh Family on free speech" twice, thrice if one counts the first time I mentioned "an examination of ABC suspending Jimmy Kimmel." I begin with a serious take, Vox explaining The messy truth about free speech.

On September 15, Jimmy Kimmel’s late-night show opening monologue included comments about the shooting of right-wing media figure Charlie Kirk, and how the "Maga gang" was "desperately trying to characterize this kid who murdered Charlie Kirk as anything other than one of them.”

Soon after, Brendan Carr, the chair of the FCC and an appointee of President Donald Trump, appeared on a conservative podcast and threatened to act against ABC and its parent company, Disney, for Kimmel’s remarks. On September 17, ABC and Disney suspended “Jimmy Kimmel Live!”

Kimmel’s suspension launched a national debate and protest around freedom of speech and satire. From celebrities like Wanda Sykes to Republicans like Sen. Ted Cruz, people from across the spectrum weighed in on the decision. The show returned days later on September 23, but the FCC’s actions left many questioning whether Kimmel’s First Amendment rights were violated.

This incident is just one of many instances of the gray areas of free speech making its way into the news cycle. In this video, we take a look at the origins of the “inalienable right” to free speech, how the Supreme Court has determined the boundaries of speech (including hate speech), and where free speech might be headed next with a six-justice majority of Republican appointees. As this issue continues to evolve, social media is one of the latest modes of communication adding new layers of complexity to this age-old debate.

So, Americans weren't just protesting government messing with their entertainment, they were protecting free speech. For once, I'm happy with our priorities.

Moving from the serious to the comedic, here is "Freedom of Speech" - Marsh Family parody of "Under the Sea" from Disney's "The Little Mermaid".

We couldn't find any lobster costumes, and a whirling freestyle in the middle of a school week was not gonna happen. So - with some extra input from a few media sources to cover instrumental sections - this is our parody rendition of "Under the Sea", one of our old Disney favourites for its sheer joy and energy. It was composed by Alan Menken (with cracking lyrics by Howard Ashman) for the 1989 animated "The Little Mermaid" and won an Oscar. Of course, the calypso lobster's forlorn plea for an alternative path falls on deaf ears. Which brings us to free speech.

It's been a scary time in lots of ways in the US, with the temperature cranked up again by shocking murders and reckless responses, and sadly now the First Amendment (for decades a place of some bipartisan accord) seems to be creaking. As we were working on the arrangement, we learned that Jimmy Kimmel's show had been reinstated by Disney - which is great news, having loved meeting him in 2020 albeit under bizarre pandemic circumstances - though we gather that much is still unclear about how the matter is going to play out. Here's hoping that enough uproar is generated that Trump and co. think again about making their predictable/alarming move on limiting freedom of expression.

We're assuming folk will have enough pointers not to need links, but will keep an eye on comments and can fill in any details!

P.S. Please note: for anyone whose kids watch, Ben forget to put special characters in the swear word at the death of the song, so heads-up on that.

No Randy Rainbow? No problem. We have the Marsh Family!

That's a wrap for today. Stay tuned as I resume my coverage of the 2025 Critics Choice Documentary Awards.