Kimmel Can Do This the Easy Way or the Hard Way

Whether Jimmy Kimmel's return to ABC's air represents a triumph of free speech or another warning that Americans should be afraid to express opinions out of favor with certain politicians may become clear Tuesday night. The host could step back onstage undaunted or subdued, Anita Chabria writes in the Los Angeles Times, suggesting it will be an episode worth seeing. "Of all the consequential, crazy, frightening events that have taken place in recent days," Chabria says, "Kimmel's return should be a moment we all watch—a real-time, late-night look at how successful our president is at forcing us to censor ourselves through fear."

When FCC Chair Brendan Carr, reflecting President Trump's stance, pushed the network and its affiliates to take Jimmy Kimmel Live! off the air, he warned, "We can do this the easy way or the hard way." Kimmel has such a choice now. Pulling back slightly on his political jokes might be enough to keep him from going through such an ordeal again. But making those digs isn't just Kimmel's job, Chabria's headline says, it's his patriotic duty. "When people of power are too scared to even crack a joke, what does that mean for the average person?" she asks. "If Kimmel, with his celebrity, clout and wealth, cannot stand up to this president, what chance do the rest of us have?" Chabria's full piece is here.

• Maybe Kimmel should drop ABC, Jill Abramson writes in an opinion piece in the Boston Globe.