"It was never my intention to make light of the murder of a young man. I don't think there's anything funny about it.... Nor was it my intention to blame any specific group for the actions of what - it was obviously a deeply disturbed individual. That was really the opposite of the point I was trying to make. But I understand that to some, that felt either ill-timed or unclear, or maybe both. And for those who think I did point a finger, I get why you're upset. If the situation was reversed, there's a good chance I'd have felt the same way."
"While Kimmel did clearly retract any insinuation that the assassin was drawn from the small but noisy ranks of Kirk's right-wing critics, he didn't apologize for his criticism of Trump's politicization of the tragedy, and went out of his way to thank the sizable number of prominent conservatives who deplored the Trump/Brendan Carr effort to get Kimmel tossed off television. All in all, it was a non-apology apology that addressed legitimate beefs about Kimmel's comments but pushed back strongly against the administration's intimidation tactics. Presumably nervous Disney management were pleased with the many eyeballs attracted by the drama (despite a partial affiliate blackout) and Kimmel's return to form."
The late-night host returned to the air quickly after Disney faced backlash and combined contrition with defiance. He stated he never intended to make light of the murder, denied blaming any specific group, and acknowledged some found his remarks ill-timed or unclear. He retracted insinuations that the accused came from Kirk's right-wing critics but did not apologize for criticizing political leaders' politicization of the tragedy. He thanked prominent conservatives who opposed efforts to remove him from television. Media attention and a partial affiliate blackout likely pleased management. The FCC chairman who escalated the controversy has shifted from specific threats to broader complaints about biased media.
Read at Intelligencer
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