Taylor Lorenz’s Power User Trump's Censorship of Jimmy Kimmel Is Just The Beginning
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Sep 19, 2025 Ari Cohn, a prominent First Amendment and tech policy lawyer from the Foundation for Individual Rights and Expression (FIRE), joins to dive into the significant implications of Jimmy Kimmel's suspension after a joke that displeased the Trump administration. They discuss the concept of 'jawboning' and the government's growing influence over media. Cohn highlights the dangers of rising internet censorship, the impact on independent creators, and the troubling implications of proposed regulations that could stifle free expression.
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Government Jawboning Shut Down Kimmel
- Brendan Carr used regulatory threats to pressure broadcasters into censoring content.
- Ari Cohn says this direct government jawboning produced an unusually fast, causal shutdown of Jimmy Kimmel's show.
Unprecedented Visibility Of Government Pressure
- Networks sometimes pull hosts after controversy, but the novel harm here is visible government causation.
- Cohn emphasizes the unprecedented explicitness and speed of government influence in this case.
Jawboning Means Informal Pressure
- Jawboning uses informal pressure to induce platforms or broadcasters to suppress speech.
- Cohn notes many who once decried jawboning now celebrate its effects when it targets opponents.