SHAPIRO: When does freedom of speech become dangerous?

We should talk about Jimmy Kimmel

Published Apr 30, 2026  •  Last updated 23 minutes ago  •  3 minute read

TV host Jimmy Kimmel speaks onstage during the 96th Annual Academy Awards at the Dolby Theatre in Hollywood, Calif., on March 10, 2024. Photo by Patrick T. Fallon /Getty Images

Americans love arguing about free speech. We invoke the First Amendment as a kind of political force field. You can say whatever you want, whenever you want, without consequence.

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But the First Amendment only restricts government action. It does not guarantee you a career, a platform or immunity from backlash. The real question is not whether certain speech is legal, but rather what kind of speech deserves social consequences and what kind doesn’t.

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And if we’re talking about reckless political speech, we should talk about Jimmy Kimmel. Years ago, he abandoned comedy in favour of applause lines, tearful monologues and the occasional performance of empathy. He’s an unfunny late-night scold who treats half the country as a punchline.

As annoying as that is, being unfunny is not a crime. The bigger issue is when media figures cross the line from tastelessness into rhetoric that creates a permission structure for violence.

To understand the difference, it helps to break political speech into three categories.

First is illegal speech.

Yes, illegal political speech exists in America. A classic example: “I want to kill the president.” That’s not merely commentary. It is an actionable, direct threat.

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There is also incitement. Under the Supreme Court’s Brandenburg standard, speech qualifies as incitement only if it is intended to and likely to produce imminent lawless action.

“Someone should do something about the president” is protected, though irresponsible, speech. “Go kill the president” crosses into territory the law can punish. It’s speech, but also an attempt to trigger violence.

Second is typical inflammatory rhetoric.

American politics is filled with heated language. “Fight like hell.” “We’re going to war with the other party.” That sort of rhetoric can be ugly and excessive, but it is also normal.

We’ve seen how absurd it becomes when people try to treat that as literal incitement. After Gabby Giffords was shot, some on the left blamed Sarah Palin because a campaign graphic had “targeted” certain districts. That was ridiculous. Using combative imagery is not the same as directing violence.

Third is the permission structure for violence.

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A permission structure for violence is created when people repeatedly portray political opponents as monsters.

This is how you create the mental environment where unstable people conclude that violence is justified. If the president is a traitor, rapist, pedophile and mastermind behind a corrupt system, then how else could he be stopped?

This kind of rhetoric leads directly to chaos.

It is also the kind of rhetoric Kimmel has trafficked in for years.

Recently, Kimmel tastelessly joked that Melania Trump had “the glow of an expectant widow.” It was disgusting and she has every right to be furious. But it wasn’t a call to violence. It was a cheap, ugly joke suggesting she secretly wants her husband dead.

Kimmel later claimed he rejects violent rhetoric, then immediately pivoted to blaming Donald Trump for rhetoric that supposedly inspires violence. It was the standard modern play — insult someone, then wrap yourself in moral superiority.

But when it comes to rhetoric that encourages violence, it isn’t the widow joke that should be the focus; it’s the conspiracism.

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Kimmel has repeatedly called Trump a pedophile, suggested he is connected to Jeffrey Epstein and involved in a cover-up, called him a rapist and accused him of protecting pedophiles, coming after voting rights, enriching billionaires while harming the poor and manipulating the system to evade accountability.

That is not “normal political speech.” It is speech that turns a political opponent into a movie villain — a figure so corrupt and monstrous that extreme action begins to feel righteous.

This kind of conspiratorial framing has a track record. It fuels ugly episodes of modern political violence — a steady stream of baseless accusations designed to convince audiences that the other side is not merely wrong but evil.

If someone eventually acts on that belief, we shouldn’t pretend it came out of nowhere.

So, should Kimmel be fired?

Firing him for the Melania joke would be punishing the wrong offence. A tasteless, bad joke is not the central issue.

The central issue is rhetoric that treats political opponents as criminals without proof, assigns monstrous motives without evidence, and creates a cultural climate where violence feels justified.

If America wants to lower the temperature, scrutiny should be directed at conspiratorial storytelling that teaches people to hate.

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