The Free Speech Warriors Who Now Love Cancel Culture
As Donald Trump calls for comedian Jimmy Kimmel's firing over a joke about Melania Trump, purported free speech advocates on the right have remained silent or justified the backlash, undermining their previous stances against cancel culture. The administration has also escalated its attack on dissent by pressuring ABC through the FCC and indicting James Comey over a symbolic social media post. Once-vocal defenders of free expression, including figures like Michael Knowles and Clay Travis, have either supported or downplayed these actions, revealing a double standard in their free speech principles.
- ▪The FCC launched an early review of ABC's licenses after Trump demanded Jimmy Kimmel's firing over a joke.
- ▪James Comey was indicted over a seashell photo interpreted as a threat, despite its likely symbolic or satirical nature.
- ▪Prominent right-wing figures like Kennedy, Michael Shermer, and Clay Travis have supported or excused the administration's actions against free speech.
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The Free Speech Warriors Who Now Love Cancel CultureAs Trump once again calls for Jimmy Kimmel’s firing, many purported defenders of the First Amendment have betrayed their signature cause.Cathy YoungMay 01, 2026Share(Photo illustration by The Bulwark / Photos Shutterstock)THIS HAS BEEN A BAD WEEK for certain free-speech warriors who once hailed Donald Trump as their champion—like, say, New York Post and Free Press columnist Martin Gurri, who gushed in January 2025 that Trump’s return to the presidency also meant the return of “speech that is unencumbered and unafraid.” Right now, the Trump administration is trying to cancel a comedian over a joke about Melania Trump and jail a critic over a social media photo of seashells on a beach.The joke by ABC late-night host Jimmy Kimmel, about…
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