Jimmy Kimmel is back on television by less than popular demand. Kimmel’s ratings are hardly robust (Kimmel pulls in 1.85 million in comparison to Gutfeld! at 3.2 million). Still, his suspension for spreading disinformation about the killer of Charlie Kirk became a cause celebre on the left. Kimmel continues to air nightly screeds against Trump and conservatives. Of course, he is hardly unique in appealing to an echo-chambered audience. However, this week Kimmel showed children being read Eric Trump’s book by a drag queen. What was most disturbing was not the use of the children to echo talking points on how great drag queens are, but showing them throwing Trump’s book into a wood chipper. It appears that nothing is funnier for the modern left than a good book burning or chipping.
Trixie Mattel led the “Drag Queen Storytime” with a group of kids in the satiric treatment of Trump’s book. Mattel asked the kids questions like “Do I scare any of you?” eliciting a response: “You just look amazing. Why would that be scary?”
The children are given choices to read like Collectible Spoons of the Third Reich.
It may be the most bizarre element of the skit, even bordering on the ironically humorous. After all, Mattel was portraying the Trump Administration as Nazis, but was about to show the children how to destroy books that have views that they do not like. That may not bring back memories of collectible Nazi spoons, but it does bring back memories of Nazi book burning.
The audience delights as one child says that she would “kick” Donald Trump “in the…” before the show bleeped out the rest of her response.
Mattel then shows the kids how to “make excellent confetti” out of a book that they do not like with a giant wood chipper outside of the studio. It is the type of comedic styling that would have had Joseph Goebbels rolling on the ground laughing.
For the free-speech community, there are few more disgraceful images as the burning or destruction of books because you do not agree with the author’s viewpoints. To see children participating in such an exercise is even more troubling.
It is easy to dismiss this as simply another bizarre skit on a show struggling for ratings. However, some of us have been raising concerns for years about the embrace of the American left in effective (or even actual) book burning. Some on the right have also embraced book burning.
Cancel campaigns of conservative speakers were not enough for many on the left. They have pressured companies not to publish books by conservatives, including figures like Justice Amy Coney Barrett. It is far easier (and environmentally sound) to ban opposing books than to physically burn them. However, the sentiment is the same. Rather than responding to those who oppose you, you fight to silence them and prevent others from reading them.
Books by JK Rowling have been burned because of her opposition to certain transgender policies that she views as undermining women’s rights.
That is why the image of children happily tossing books into a wood chipper is so disturbing for many in the free speech community. This is not just satire but reality as many push to destroy books with opposing views.
None of this means that there is any crime in this comedic sketch. Even book burning is protected speech. Yet, the humor is missed by many of us who have been objecting to the rise of a new generation of self-righteous book burners in America.
The infamous picture of the soldier throwing books on a bon fire is actually burning the library of Magnus Hirschfeld, a German psychiatrist and self proclaimed ” sexologist”. He pushed for ” transgender rights” ( whatever that is) and actually advocated sex with children. So those book burnings were not without cause.
Try to criticize Trump haters on NEWSWEEK. Should be called NEWNAZIs
Nothing the left likes more than brainwashing children to use as political footsoldiers. Hitler Youth and Young Pioneers are alive and well within today’s left.
I guess I’m just too old. I remember comedians who could make folks laugh without the mental violence and bigotry of today’s crop of joke tellers
On the other hand perhaps today’s jokers are just not smart enough to do otherwise.
Media is a business. If one attracts an audience large enough, one gets advertising. If not, it is a loss and the program is cut. There is no speech issue. The person losing their place in the network line up can easily open a social media platform and keep on doing their thing.
It is only a matter of time. He seems desperate.
*. Anyone missing the United States and still having mom and dad and family at Thanksgiving when all was well and peaceful?
I hope your Thanksgiving is good.
Never heard of Lady Boys or murder nor theft. It’s a dark time.
Here, Turley implies that Kimmel should not be on television because his ratings
are not as high as Gutfeld’s:
“Jimmy Kimmel is back on television by less than popular demand. Kimmel’s ratings are hardly robust (Kimmel pulls in 1.85 million in comparison to Gutfeld! at 3.2 million).”
He’s describing the situation. Nowhere does he say or imply anything about whether Kimmel should or shouldn’t be on TV. You’re reading that into it.
Then why is he bringing it up?
Maybe just to poke fun at Kimmel.
Because it is clear that Kimmel is unprofitable and losing the ratings contest.
To: Anonymous:@ October 20, 2025 at 8:59 PM
“Turley implies that Kimmel should not be on television because his ratings
are not as high as Gutfeld’s:”
NO No no: He is implying that the Man (Jimmy Kimmel) is taking 1,250,000 a Month (estimated 15-16 Million/yr) in Salary bankrupting the Network and laughing all the way to the Bank year after year.
I would venture to guess that’s quite a bit more than you take home.
What ($) do you take home a month Anon?
Gee it would almost seem like the network is politicized with the CEO pursuing a financially losing business decision to perform as an attack dog against the President of the United States. I wonder if the Boatd of Directors are so wealthy that they care less about their shareholders taking a massive loss. You Tube is kicking their azz!
No he is poking fun at the left that censored and de-platformed everyone that disagreed with them under the Biden administration but now are defenders of free speech when one not very funny comedian lies on TV and the left goes bananas.
Of course you will never stop trolling as it is how you get your jollies.
Loneliness, trolling, and the Dark Tetrad
There were several significant findings. Men were more likely than women to troll the internet and scored significantly higher on all the Dark Tetrad traits. Internet trolling correlated with Machiavellianism, sadism, and psychopathy, but not narcissism. Psychopathy was significantly correlated with higher reported loneliness, showing that in spite of common conceptions, more psychopathic people still register the absence of a relationship.
https://neurolaunch.com/psychology-of-internet-trolls/
Kimmel should not be on a major network because his ratings do not provide the revenue necescary to support his show on a major network.
It is irrelevant whether his content is left or right.
The audience he draws is relevant to the revenue the show produces and the expenses that the show can have.
It and Colbert are purportedly losing 10’s of millions a year.
The networks are free to waste money propping them up – but shareholders are not likely to tolerate that long.
Again to the extent that politics is relevant to this – it is only the inability of Kimmels politics to gain a sufficient audience.
One of the problems is that the MSM has 3-4 shows that are mostly indistinguishable competing for the same audience.
Turley notes Gutfeld. Gutfeld has no competition for the audience of his political persusion.
There is just not a large enough audience for 3-4 left wing nut comic/late night talk show hosts.
Should Kimmel be the one to go ? That is a question for the market or for Disney.
You talk a lot without evidence. Jimmy Kimmel is more popular than Trump after his suspension. In fact, his ratings are higher now thanks to Trump’s FCC attempt to silence him.
Every TV show has had a ratings drop—not because of a lack of popularity but because of streaming services. In fact, Jimmy Kimmel’s ratings on streaming platforms like YouTube and TikTok are far higher and he has more than 20 million subscribers. This means more people watch his show through apps than the regular TV program. That is why there was a big drop in subscribers when Disney suspended him due to the FCC’s threats.
All late-night shows have very large audiences, but they are now being watched online through dedicated apps instead of traditional TV programming.