Elon Musk has stirred up the social media scene again, expressing “free speech” concerns after Jimmy Kimmel’s show was put on hold indefinitely. He’s even called for a longstanding ban on former Democratic candidate Kamala Harris from social media.
Harris criticized Disney’s decision to suspend “Jimmy Kimmel Live!” and spoke out in defense of Kimmel, condemning what she described as “a complete abuse of power” by the Trump administration.
“What we’re seeing is a total misuse of power. This administration weaponizes it to go after critics and silence them,” she posted on Twitter, now called X, regarding Kimmel’s situation.
“We can’t afford to stay silent or accept this direct attack on free speech,” she added.
Many users on X—including Musk, the platform owner—noted Harris’s prior comments that seemed to support censorship. Musk even brought back a tweet from 2019 where Harris suggested that Trump’s Twitter account should be suspended.
“Honestly, suspend @realdonaldtrump’s Twitter,” she tweeted on September 30, 2019, while she was running for Vice President.
Musk shared her tweet again on Friday, adding some emojis to express his thoughts.
Kimmel’s show faced suspension after prosecutors accused conservatives of falsely framing an individual in connection to an incident involving Charlie Kirk. Kimmel expressed his frustration, saying, “We hit some new lows over the weekend, with the Maga gang trying to mischaracterize this kid as anything other than what he is and score political points in the process.”
There have been some inquiries regarding the Federal Communications Commission (FCC) and its part in the suspension, and voices from both ends of the political spectrum raised concerns. Senator Ted Cruz from Texas warned conservatives that this could set troubling precedents.
Cruz remarked on his podcast that Kimmel was misrepresenting facts, saying, “What he’s saying is that Jimmy Kimmel was lying. That’s all true; he’s lying to Americans.”
FCC Chairman Brendan Kerr discussed with Fox News, emphasizing that broadcasters are different from other communication forms and mentioned how affiliated groups like Nexstar and Sinclair planned to stop airing “Jimmy Kimmel Live!”
Kerr reiterated, “For many years, the FCC has stepped back from enforcing its public interest obligations. We don’t think we’re better as a country for that.”
Meanwhile, a White House spokesperson clarified that ABC executives made the decision to suspend Kimmel’s show, asserting that there was no pressure from the White House.
The Biden-Harris administration has faced its own scrutiny over censorship, particularly regarding interactions with social media during the Covid-19 pandemic. In a 2021 press conference, then-Press Secretary Jen Psaki mentioned that the administration was flagging troubling Facebook posts spreading misinformation.
In August 2024, just ahead of the presidential election, Meta CEO Mark Zuckerberg confirmed that the Biden-Harris administration had pressured Facebook to censor content, reinforcing the ongoing debates around free speech and media influence.
