Dave Portnoy from Barstool Sports reasserts that Jimmy Kimmel’s airtime doesn’t represent a free speech issue.
On Thursday, Portnoy conveyed via his X account that Kimmel hadn’t really been deprived of his free speech rights.
“We hit a new low over the weekend with the Magga gang trying to portray this kid who killed Charlie Kirk as someone outside their circle…” Kimmel remarked in his Monday monologue, labeling the murderer as linked to the Magga group.
In a video, Portnoy asserted that Kimmel’s challenges shouldn’t be viewed as “cancel culture” and clarified that that term really refers to retaliation.
“Cancel culture happens when you dislike someone. We want to take Dave down, so we’re digging into his past for anything we can use against him,” he mentioned.
“I think Kimmel’s situation stemmed directly from his actions,” he added.
“He expressed dislike for certain jokes, calling the attackers part of the far-right movement—they weren’t. Sinclair Communications indicated that this content wasn’t what the audience wanted to see,” Portnoy pointed out.
“For me, this isn’t a free speech issue. I’ve always told my team that while you can say what you want, your words have consequences,” he said.
“His ratings are definitely down, but he’s still making significant money. However, he is causing problems for ABC and its affiliates. This isn’t about journalistic freedom,” Portnoy explained.
“This isn’t about free speech,” he emphasized repeatedly. “It’s not a culture cancellation issue. Jimmy Kimmel isn’t thriving right now, and the issues surrounding him are worth it for keeping him on air. When you work for someone else, your words could lead to serious ramifications for your career.”
“A lot of discussions have arisen concerning the hypocrisy of cancel culture while Kimmel faces difficulties,” Portnoy noted in his original tweet. “To me, cancel culture is when people actively seek out old tweets and videos to find dirt on someone they want to dismiss,” he elaborated.
Portnoy concluded, “If Kimmel were targeted for something from his show, that would qualify as cancel culture. But when people react negatively to what he says in the moment—that isn’t cancel culture.”
