In a interesting conversation, late-night host Jimmy Kimmel offered insights into how the evolving political landscape has transformed comedy, particularly for stand-up comedians navigating an increasingly polarized America.
Kimmel acknowledged that his own approach to comedy has shifted dramatically over his career.
“When I started the show, I was mostly my homepage was ESPN.com. It’s kind of all I really cared about was sports.”
But maturity and changing times have pushed him toward more political content.
“I’ve always been a Democrat since I was a little boy, but I was never a particularly political person.”
He said the difference today lies in the nature of modern politics itself.
“I also think maybe you did, but maybe you didn’t have to be back then. I think this is a very different situation that we’re in now. And also my job as I see it is to talk about the news of the day and these are the big stories of the day pretty much every day.”
Recently Jennifer Aniston criticized ABC’s suspension of her longtime friend Jimmy Kimmel following his comments about Charlie Kirk’s passing, calling the network’s actions “very dangerous” and “unthinkable.” Speaking to Elle magazine, she credited the surge in Disney+ and Hulu subscription cancellations as a powerful statement from viewers upset by the decision, noting that such actions “spoke volumes.” Aniston framed the situation within a broader cultural context, urging Americans to listen to both sides amid growing political polarization, lamenting that productive dialogue has been lost.
The Trump presidency, in particular, has intensified this shift.
“He’s on TV all day every day, so he gives us a lot to use to deal with. You’d occasionally get a video of George Bush like walking the wrong way on stage and then you’d make a week out of it, but now it’s just you hear him, you see him.”
However, Kimmel drew an important distinction between his role and that of stand-up comedians. For stand-ups who work out material to perform night after night in different cities, the rapidly changing political environment poses unique challenges.
“Politics change so quickly, it doesn’t necessarily lend itself to that job.”
Many comedians simply want to make audiences laugh without navigating potential political backlash.
“They’re walking into a town and you don’t know who’s in the room and you just want to make people laugh and you’re not necessarily on a crusade and I get it.”
“I don’t think any of those guys should be required to speak the way I do or the way Steven Colbert does or John Stewart does and I think that applies to people on television too. They don’t have to do this. It’s just I choose to do it.”
When all’s said and done, Kimmel is back on late night TV but the cultural climate appears to be changing fast.