Chabria: Please, Jimmy, don’t back down. Making fun of Trump is your patriotic duty

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Jimmy Kimmel is returning to television very quickly, so some people may not have even realized he was away.

Hallelujah? Praise be to ABC? Free speech triumphs?

Everything hinges on Tuesday night’s show. We’ll see if Jimmy Kimmel comes back with his usual energy, or if he appears shaken. Amidst all the recent, significant, and unsettling events, Kimmel’s return is worth watching – it’ll be a live, late-night indication of how well the president is managing to silence dissent through intimidation.

Please, Jimmy, don’t back down.

If Jimmy Kimmel starts holding back his jokes, especially those targeting powerful people, it suggests he’s letting fear dictate his actions and encouraging others to do the same. He may not have anticipated this situation, but now he faces a difficult decision: protect himself, or speak up, even if it’s risky.

I realize that might sound like an exaggeration, but suppressing your own thoughts is a key characteristic of authoritarian regimes. If those in charge are afraid to even make a lighthearted comment, it shows how limited freedom truly is for everyone else.

If someone as well-known and influential as Jimmy Kimmel can’t challenge the president, it doesn’t leave much hope for the average person.

Voices

Chabria: Wake up, Los Angeles. We are all Jimmy Kimmel

San Francisco was once a prime target for criticism from supporters of Donald Trump, but now Los Angeles is receiving most of that attention.

Patriotism once felt straightforward. It was things like enjoying apple pie, displaying the flag on Independence Day, or feeling a swell of pride during the national anthem – even if you were otherwise forgetful.

It’s a subtle but powerful feeling – a quiet understanding of how good it is to be an American.

Patriotism is a word with a lot of baggage. Recently, it’s been twisted by the MAGA movement into a rigid ideology – one that prioritizes a white, Western worldview and insists on a strict, often aggressive, form of Christianity influencing public life.

We’ve seen a lot of recent examples of this behavior. For instance, the Pentagon is suggesting journalists could be punished for reporting information they haven’t been officially given. Also, the president recently used social media to ask the Attorney General, Pam Bondi, to investigate people he considers his opponents.

What really bothered me was Stephen Miller, who led Trump’s immigration policy, giving a serious, humorless speech at Charlie Kirk’s memorial service.

Miller declared, “We are the storm,” referencing a QAnon conspiracy theory that predicts a dramatic and violent societal upheaval.

That was unsettling, but it was actually quite tame compared to his next outburst – a typical rant filled with Christian nationalist ideas.

As a movie lover, when I heard Miller talk about where our creative spirit comes from, it really resonated with me. He said it all started way back with the builders of places like Athens, Rome, Philadelphia, and even Monticello. He meant that just like those ancestors who physically *built* cities and beautiful things – the art, the buildings, everything – we’re continuing that tradition, but with our own kind of ‘industry’ – filmmaking, of course!

The question of Sally Hemings lingered, but he shifted focus to criticize those who disagree with his perspective. He targeted people – like Jimmy Kimmel, it seems – who reject this harsh view of America.

Miller lashed out, saying, “You are pure evil, filled with jealousy, envy, and hatred-you are worthless. You are incapable of building, creating, or producing anything of value.”

Humor, of course, ain’t nothing, which is why this administration can’t stand it.

Sharing a laugh brings people closer together. It releases feel-good chemicals like dopamine and serotonin, which strengthen relationships. Humor also helps reduce fear and encourages optimism.

Autocratic leaders consistently target comedians early in their rule. It’s not simply about being sensitive to criticism – though some, like Trump, may be – it’s a deliberate strategy to control opposition and silence dissenting voices.

Joseph Goebbels, the Nazi propaganda chief, understood the power of controlling entertainment. In 1939, after establishing a cultural oversight body with strict rules for performers, he banned five German comedians – Werner Finck, Peter Sachse, Helmuth Buth, Wilhelm Meissner, and Manfred Dlugi – because they told political jokes that criticized the Nazi government. This effectively ruined their careers for simply using satire to poke fun at Nazi leaders, and Goebbels claimed the public didn’t appreciate their humor.

Hollywood Inc.

This decision comes after discussions between both sides, aimed at easing tensions that started when Kimmel made comments following the death of conservative activist Charlie Kirk.

According to a New York Times report from the time, the German government stated that these individuals publicly showed no support for Nazi ideology, which greatly upset both the general public and members of the Nazi party.

Sounds familiar.

Jimmy Kimmel isn’t the only comedian addressing the situation. Jon Stewart responded on “The Daily Show” by jokingly pretending to be intimidated into silence, likely referencing a similar tactic used by comedian Finck, who famously quipped, “I’m not saying anything. And even that, I’m not saying.”

Stephen Colbert created a hilarious parody video poking fun at Disney, and political cartoonists are now using the situation for their own work.

Many leaders are actively challenging Trump’s statements. California Governor Gavin Newsom has responded with strongly worded, all-caps replies, and Illinois Governor JB Pritzker, despite being dismissed by Trump, has also been outspoken in his disagreement, particularly regarding the presence of National Guard troops in Chicago.

The collective power of the powerful is no joke. It means something.

No amount of serious discussion is as effective at undermining potential dictators as a well-placed joke. As Mark Twain famously said, laughter is unstoppable. That’s why Jimmy Kimmel’s humor feels so important right now.

I left the theater wondering if the protagonist would pull off a triumphant return, reminding us to cast off our anxieties, or if the stakes were genuinely too high this time. It really came down to whether his success would be a feel-good moment or a sign of truly dire circumstances.

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2025-09-23 02:02