With Jimmy Kimmel‘s recent temporary suspension, everyone’s been on edge with regard to what the Trump administration might do to anyone saying anything remotely in opposition to Charlie Kirk. However, things are looking up, with Variety reporting the return of Kimmel’s show. ABC‘s The View, which was said to be “under investigation” by the FCC, has now publicly come out, with Whoopi Goldberg making a statement about the whole ordeal.
“Did y’all really think we weren’t gonna talk about Jimmy Kimmel? No one silences us,” Goldberg stated on The View. “The government cannot apply pressure to force someone to be silenced.” Dozens of movie stars, celebrities, and hosts have already taken their stance against what happened to Kimmel, so what Goldberg said is valid, but nothing special at this point. However, what many fans have pointed out is the timing of when The View members decided to show their support for free speech and opposition against government intervention.
Fans Call Out The View for Being Too Late to Make a Statement
“Oh, they got ungagged cause ABC was gonna make that announcement,” sarcastically remarked a Redditor, pointing out how The View is rather ‘late to the party’ to make a statement. Another added that this ‘courageous stand’ would have been more believable had Goldberg said the same thing around the time the suspension was announced. She did clarify during the show that The View only waited to say anything because they wanted Kimmel to comment first, as they did with Colbert. Still, “It’s giving the vibe they saw the direction this was going and only then felt safe talking,” the commenter concluded. “This isn’t taking a stand,” agreed another.
“No one silences us for more than a week,” joked another comment. “Once the terms and conditions of our speech are fully worked out and vetted by legal,” added a reply. In other words, the fanbase’s sentiment is that Goldberg and The View needed approval from ABC, aka Disney, to ensure they, too, wouldn’t be canceled by FCC threats if they said the wrong thing. This general consensus is relatively believable, considering that Disney lost $3.87 billion due to the Kimmel controversy, according to Culture Base.
That said, everyone is still shaken that this even happened. When it came to something or someone being cancelled, it usually involved a big collective push for a change to be made. But for Jimmy Kimmel, people clearly believe it was blatant government censorship, if Trump’s praise and the FCC officials’ comments weren’t evidence enough. As one person puts it, “No one silences us. Except for when they do.” Goldberg was right that the government can’t apply pressure to silence someone, but only when enough backlash and financial issues are involved does that statement seem to hold true.
