1 00:00:04,795 --> 00:00:19,395 Speaker 1: Countdown with Keith Olderman is a production of iHeartRadio. All Right, 2 00:00:19,435 --> 00:00:21,475 Speaker 1: I will try to tell you that Jimmy Kimmel's story 3 00:00:21,475 --> 00:00:26,955 Speaker 1: while suppressing my rage over it. On Monday night, Jimmy Kimmel, 4 00:00:27,075 --> 00:00:31,435 Speaker 1: in his program on ABC Late Night said quote, we 5 00:00:31,515 --> 00:00:33,635 Speaker 1: hit some new lows over the weekend with the Maga 6 00:00:33,675 --> 00:00:37,435 Speaker 1: gang desperately trying to characterize this kid who murdered Charlie 7 00:00:37,515 --> 00:00:40,715 Speaker 1: Kirk as anything other than one of them and doing 8 00:00:40,755 --> 00:00:45,475 Speaker 1: everything they can to score political points from it. There 9 00:00:45,595 --> 00:00:50,115 Speaker 1: is some reason to think that to say Charlie Kirk's 10 00:00:50,195 --> 00:00:53,155 Speaker 1: murder was anything other than one of them was a 11 00:00:53,155 --> 00:00:57,155 Speaker 1: little broad. Otherwise, that script could have gone into any 12 00:00:57,235 --> 00:01:00,435 Speaker 1: newscast in America. It is that close to what has 13 00:01:00,475 --> 00:01:03,835 Speaker 1: proven to be true. And that statement was made before 14 00:01:04,115 --> 00:01:09,915 Speaker 1: the news conference explaining all of the correspondence between the 15 00:01:09,955 --> 00:01:16,395 Speaker 1: alleged murderer and his girlfriend and the motivation for it. Yes, 16 00:01:16,635 --> 00:01:19,195 Speaker 1: that's all they have done since Charlie Kirk died, and 17 00:01:19,235 --> 00:01:20,915 Speaker 1: many of them are doing them, as I mentioned the 18 00:01:20,995 --> 00:01:24,795 Speaker 1: other day, from a position of knowing only of the 19 00:01:25,235 --> 00:01:30,355 Speaker 1: Charlie Kirk, who was a Bible thumper. This weird position 20 00:01:30,395 --> 00:01:34,155 Speaker 1: we are in in which somebody can have two sets 21 00:01:34,195 --> 00:01:39,595 Speaker 1: of video feeds. One is seen by normal people like 22 00:01:39,795 --> 00:01:43,435 Speaker 1: presumably you and me, although I don't necessarily mean to 23 00:01:43,435 --> 00:01:46,595 Speaker 1: speak for you, and another that is seen by ultra 24 00:01:46,715 --> 00:01:51,915 Speaker 1: right wingers and Bible thumpers and religious nuts and people 25 00:01:51,915 --> 00:01:53,995 Speaker 1: who would never have heard that cut that I played 26 00:01:53,995 --> 00:01:57,435 Speaker 1: earlier Charlie Kirk saying that Joe Biden should be executed. 27 00:01:58,515 --> 00:02:01,275 Speaker 1: They would only have heard the ones about stay in 28 00:02:01,315 --> 00:02:04,515 Speaker 1: school and read your Bible and the family's most important 29 00:02:04,675 --> 00:02:06,115 Speaker 1: and they would never have seen the rest of it. 30 00:02:06,195 --> 00:02:10,675 Speaker 1: So there are some people operating from a position of 31 00:02:10,875 --> 00:02:15,355 Speaker 1: at least authenticity within their own world. Then there are 32 00:02:15,395 --> 00:02:18,195 Speaker 1: the politicians and the political figures who know Charlie Kirk 33 00:02:18,235 --> 00:02:21,475 Speaker 1: for what he was and are taking advantage of the 34 00:02:21,475 --> 00:02:23,435 Speaker 1: fact that there are people who do not know what 35 00:02:23,635 --> 00:02:27,035 Speaker 1: Charlie Kirk really was and the kind of filth that 36 00:02:27,075 --> 00:02:31,115 Speaker 1: he put out every day, hour upon hour in the 37 00:02:31,155 --> 00:02:36,115 Speaker 1: guise of being the Bible thumper. Jimmy Kimmel cut through that. 38 00:02:36,755 --> 00:02:39,915 Speaker 1: In the wake of the cancelation of Stephen Colbert, I 39 00:02:40,035 --> 00:02:44,755 Speaker 1: continued to maintain that CBS's decision about Colbert was actually 40 00:02:44,995 --> 00:02:50,035 Speaker 1: almost ninety nine percent financial. These shows are not making money, 41 00:02:50,115 --> 00:02:52,435 Speaker 1: and just because you have the top rated one does 42 00:02:52,435 --> 00:02:54,835 Speaker 1: not mean you are not losing money for your company. 43 00:02:55,035 --> 00:02:59,275 Speaker 1: The whole genre is dying. The audiences under fifty under 44 00:02:59,395 --> 00:03:02,515 Speaker 1: thirty from which these shows were springing and making all 45 00:03:02,595 --> 00:03:06,515 Speaker 1: kinds of money, they are leaving in droves the percentages. 46 00:03:06,795 --> 00:03:09,315 Speaker 1: In just the last eighteen months, I believe the audience 47 00:03:09,395 --> 00:03:15,715 Speaker 1: number under thirty for Kimmel and for Colbert and for 48 00:03:15,755 --> 00:03:22,675 Speaker 1: the NBC shows was now down fifty percent. It's not sustainable. However, 49 00:03:23,515 --> 00:03:27,755 Speaker 1: the Kimmel move, in which they announced late yesterday that 50 00:03:27,875 --> 00:03:31,475 Speaker 1: Kimmel was off the air effective immediately on the ABC 51 00:03:31,555 --> 00:03:34,875 Speaker 1: network because a series of local stations owned by a 52 00:03:34,915 --> 00:03:38,875 Speaker 1: company called Nexstar, which has its own history of repression 53 00:03:38,955 --> 00:03:42,795 Speaker 1: of freedom speech, that those stations would not carry Kimmel 54 00:03:43,075 --> 00:03:46,235 Speaker 1: and were pressuring ABC to drop or suspend the show, 55 00:03:46,555 --> 00:03:51,635 Speaker 1: and ABC did this also late afternoon yesterday. The man 56 00:03:51,675 --> 00:03:54,915 Speaker 1: I referred to in the first segment, Brendan Carr, Brendan Goebbels. 57 00:03:55,075 --> 00:03:58,595 Speaker 1: Car did something that is quite literally exactly something that 58 00:03:58,635 --> 00:04:02,475 Speaker 1: Goebels did in the early years of Nazi Germany in 59 00:04:02,555 --> 00:04:06,315 Speaker 1: his role as the media control ler and chief propagandas 60 00:04:06,315 --> 00:04:10,795 Speaker 1: for Adolf Hitler, he silenced all criticism by taking the 61 00:04:10,835 --> 00:04:15,195 Speaker 1: broadcasting companies. In those days, almost all broadcasting in Germany 62 00:04:15,355 --> 00:04:18,115 Speaker 1: was radio. He took all the private radio companies away 63 00:04:18,715 --> 00:04:23,835 Speaker 1: from their owners, the few that maintain some kind of viability, 64 00:04:23,955 --> 00:04:27,075 Speaker 1: and also the newspapers. The few that maintained viability in 65 00:04:27,195 --> 00:04:30,995 Speaker 1: Nazi Germany were the ones that never criticized the Nazis thereafter, 66 00:04:31,555 --> 00:04:37,155 Speaker 1: that's what they want. Brendan Carr may have said something 67 00:04:37,195 --> 00:04:39,835 Speaker 1: appropriate about the First Amendment, but of course he doesn't 68 00:04:39,875 --> 00:04:43,275 Speaker 1: want the First Amendment to apply to private broadcasting. Because 69 00:04:43,755 --> 00:04:47,155 Speaker 1: his argument was, we can take the licenses away from ABC, 70 00:04:47,515 --> 00:04:51,755 Speaker 1: ABC the network, the Jimmy Kimmel Show, Fox News Channel, 71 00:04:51,795 --> 00:04:55,115 Speaker 1: all of cable. There are no licenses for them. There 72 00:04:55,155 --> 00:04:59,155 Speaker 1: are licenses for the individual stations that ABC owns, that 73 00:04:59,315 --> 00:05:03,995 Speaker 1: Fox owns, that CBS owns, that NBC owns. There are 74 00:05:04,115 --> 00:05:07,915 Speaker 1: individual licenses, and they can be challenged, and they can 75 00:05:07,995 --> 00:05:10,875 Speaker 1: be taken away from the owners no matter who they are. 76 00:05:11,675 --> 00:05:15,195 Speaker 1: Usually it's under the most dire and extraordinary of circumstances. 77 00:05:15,755 --> 00:05:18,475 Speaker 1: I don't know the last time a license was actually 78 00:05:18,475 --> 00:05:22,755 Speaker 1: taken away from an American TV license holder. Now the 79 00:05:22,795 --> 00:05:28,035 Speaker 1: Trump administration under this despot car would take somebody's license 80 00:05:28,115 --> 00:05:34,355 Speaker 1: away for being critical of Trump. There is no pretext 81 00:05:34,395 --> 00:05:38,475 Speaker 1: being made anymore about why they would go after ABC licenses. 82 00:05:39,555 --> 00:05:42,275 Speaker 1: The other reason they're going after ABC licenses is they 83 00:05:42,315 --> 00:05:46,195 Speaker 1: know Bob Iger is now a collaborator. He is a 84 00:05:46,315 --> 00:05:51,315 Speaker 1: quizzling Bob Iger who stood up many times, not just 85 00:05:51,515 --> 00:05:56,235 Speaker 1: for ABC News, for ABC Sports, for ESPN after Disney 86 00:05:56,275 --> 00:05:58,915 Speaker 1: and ABC bought ESPN. Why I was there? Stood up 87 00:05:58,915 --> 00:06:02,875 Speaker 1: for me personally? Has now abandoned all of that because 88 00:06:02,995 --> 00:06:07,435 Speaker 1: Bob Iger is the classic person who is vulnerable to 89 00:06:07,595 --> 00:06:12,835 Speaker 1: professional blackmail. Bob Iger retired as chairman of ABC and 90 00:06:12,955 --> 00:06:18,035 Speaker 1: found that he no longer had anything to do. He 91 00:06:18,115 --> 00:06:21,795 Speaker 1: wanted the power back. His successor was not who he 92 00:06:21,835 --> 00:06:25,035 Speaker 1: thought he was, and he believed and those around him 93 00:06:25,035 --> 00:06:27,275 Speaker 1: believed too, that he was essential to the future success 94 00:06:27,315 --> 00:06:30,795 Speaker 1: of Disney, and so he Jay lenoed this guy who 95 00:06:30,835 --> 00:06:35,115 Speaker 1: succeeded him. It is pardon parcel of retirement. I have 96 00:06:35,235 --> 00:06:37,795 Speaker 1: felt it too, watching people who succeeded me and gone, 97 00:06:38,315 --> 00:06:41,315 Speaker 1: what the hell are they doing? Why did I leave? 98 00:06:41,515 --> 00:06:44,275 Speaker 1: Why did I semi retire? Why did I go into 99 00:06:44,315 --> 00:06:47,835 Speaker 1: this instead of saying, there, imagine when it's the level 100 00:06:47,955 --> 00:06:51,635 Speaker 1: of finance of tens of millions of dollars in salary, 101 00:06:51,755 --> 00:06:54,515 Speaker 1: hundreds of millions of dollars in value that people like 102 00:06:54,635 --> 00:07:00,315 Speaker 1: Bob Iger make. And so Bob Iger came back, and 103 00:07:00,395 --> 00:07:03,755 Speaker 1: Bob Iger is a man who wants the money and 104 00:07:03,875 --> 00:07:09,075 Speaker 1: wants the job, and frankly, he is a coward who 105 00:07:09,155 --> 00:07:12,835 Speaker 1: values his job over democracy and ultimately values his job 106 00:07:12,915 --> 00:07:18,355 Speaker 1: running Disney over America. He has just sold America out 107 00:07:18,395 --> 00:07:24,595 Speaker 1: by taking Kimmel off the air till further notice. It 108 00:07:24,715 --> 00:07:32,475 Speaker 1: is extraordinary. I'm not utterly surprised. On Tuesday, Kimmel came 109 00:07:32,515 --> 00:07:35,715 Speaker 1: back and said, many in Magaland are working very hard 110 00:07:35,715 --> 00:07:39,515 Speaker 1: to capitalize on the murder of Charlie Kirk. Yesterday, JD. Vance, 111 00:07:39,515 --> 00:07:43,235 Speaker 1: who himself famously called Trump's America as Hitler, hosted the 112 00:07:43,315 --> 00:07:45,515 Speaker 1: Charlie Kirk Podcast from the White House, where he pointed 113 00:07:45,555 --> 00:07:49,595 Speaker 1: his little mascari stained finger directly at the left, and 114 00:07:49,635 --> 00:07:52,195 Speaker 1: then they played the tape of Vance saying most of 115 00:07:52,235 --> 00:07:54,955 Speaker 1: the lunatics in American politics today are proud members of 116 00:07:54,955 --> 00:07:56,875 Speaker 1: the far left. And Kimmel came back on and said, 117 00:07:56,995 --> 00:08:01,795 Speaker 1: and by statistical fact, he means complete bullshit. Again, probably 118 00:08:01,835 --> 00:08:05,515 Speaker 1: wouldn't use the word bullshit in a newscast. Otherwise completely 119 00:08:05,515 --> 00:08:10,715 Speaker 1: accurate and worthy of an inclusion on ABC World News. 120 00:08:13,275 --> 00:08:17,435 Speaker 1: Let me explain to you why they did this again. Primarily, 121 00:08:17,475 --> 00:08:20,035 Speaker 1: Iigre did it to protect Iiger. To some degree, he 122 00:08:20,115 --> 00:08:24,355 Speaker 1: did it to protect ABC. They already gave up sixteen 123 00:08:24,395 --> 00:08:27,955 Speaker 1: million dollars to Trump as a bribe to keep them 124 00:08:28,115 --> 00:08:33,675 Speaker 1: from suing. Further over, the Stephanopoulos quotes about Trump and 125 00:08:33,755 --> 00:08:38,115 Speaker 1: the Agen Carrol case, so there's already a history there. 126 00:08:38,115 --> 00:08:40,875 Speaker 1: They already knew Bob Eiger was a soft target who 127 00:08:40,915 --> 00:08:45,435 Speaker 1: could be blackmailed into doing what they wanted. The Kimmel stuff, 128 00:08:45,475 --> 00:08:50,555 Speaker 1: although it is factually verifiable, was still so pointed that 129 00:08:50,635 --> 00:08:54,995 Speaker 1: it became an easy weapon to use against Iiger, and 130 00:08:55,115 --> 00:08:57,995 Speaker 1: no doubt there were phone calls made directly to people 131 00:08:58,035 --> 00:09:01,355 Speaker 1: around Iigre saying, we will go after your licenses, we 132 00:09:01,395 --> 00:09:04,035 Speaker 1: will go after your theme parks, we will go after 133 00:09:04,075 --> 00:09:09,675 Speaker 1: everything Disney has that's worth anything. Ironically, of course, the 134 00:09:09,755 --> 00:09:13,075 Speaker 1: station licenses are probably the least valuable thing in the equation, 135 00:09:13,555 --> 00:09:16,515 Speaker 1: because local TV stations are not something you would want 136 00:09:16,555 --> 00:09:19,195 Speaker 1: to invest in, even if you were only investing fifty 137 00:09:19,195 --> 00:09:22,315 Speaker 1: dollars a local TV station is not a big deal anymore. 138 00:09:24,155 --> 00:09:28,835 Speaker 1: The network properties, the syndication rights to shows on networks, 139 00:09:28,875 --> 00:09:31,635 Speaker 1: the shows that networks produce or are involved in the 140 00:09:31,635 --> 00:09:35,715 Speaker 1: production of, that's a different story. But the local stations, yeah, 141 00:09:35,755 --> 00:09:41,035 Speaker 1: you're probably better off just affiliating your programs with independent 142 00:09:41,115 --> 00:09:45,515 Speaker 1: stations that you do not own. Nevertheless, the implication here 143 00:09:45,755 --> 00:09:49,715 Speaker 1: was we already bought you horror Bolla, Higer, we are 144 00:09:49,755 --> 00:09:52,435 Speaker 1: going to make you whore some more, or we are 145 00:09:52,435 --> 00:09:55,595 Speaker 1: coming after what we already told you was yours and 146 00:09:55,635 --> 00:10:00,835 Speaker 1: we wouldn't come after again. And Iiger folded. It is shameful. 147 00:10:01,915 --> 00:10:06,155 Speaker 1: It is the only thing he will be remembered for 148 00:10:06,555 --> 00:10:11,515 Speaker 1: after a tremendous career, fifty years in broadcasting. As I said, 149 00:10:11,675 --> 00:10:15,115 Speaker 1: personal relationship with me that dates back literally to before 150 00:10:15,195 --> 00:10:17,795 Speaker 1: I went on the air professionally in nineteen seventy nine, 151 00:10:17,915 --> 00:10:20,115 Speaker 1: some of the greatest advice I have ever been given. 152 00:10:20,155 --> 00:10:22,915 Speaker 1: I always had tremendous respect for him, and he made 153 00:10:22,955 --> 00:10:25,715 Speaker 1: overtures again and again, offering me the opportunity to go 154 00:10:25,795 --> 00:10:29,235 Speaker 1: back to ESPN after I left. Called when I was leaving, 155 00:10:29,915 --> 00:10:33,595 Speaker 1: expressed his regrets criticized the management beneath him, saying he 156 00:10:33,635 --> 00:10:35,475 Speaker 1: didn't know I was about to leave. I had all 157 00:10:35,555 --> 00:10:38,115 Speaker 1: the respect in the world for this man until the 158 00:10:38,195 --> 00:10:42,035 Speaker 1: last year. Because there is nothing more dangerous than a 159 00:10:42,075 --> 00:10:44,515 Speaker 1: man who retires and sees that the only thing next 160 00:10:44,795 --> 00:10:48,035 Speaker 1: in his life is his own death, whenever that may come. 161 00:10:49,555 --> 00:10:52,355 Speaker 1: So you have to go back and reclaim your old job, 162 00:10:52,435 --> 00:10:56,675 Speaker 1: and once you reclaim it, you will kill to maintain it, 163 00:10:56,715 --> 00:11:00,915 Speaker 1: metaphorically speaking. And what he just metaphorically killed was freedom 164 00:11:01,115 --> 00:11:05,795 Speaker 1: of commentary in this country. Real people ask me in 165 00:11:05,835 --> 00:11:10,235 Speaker 1: the wake of this announcement late last afternoon early evening, 166 00:11:11,195 --> 00:11:14,955 Speaker 1: can't Kimmel sue about this? Isn't this obviously damaged to 167 00:11:15,035 --> 00:11:18,115 Speaker 1: Jimmy Kimmel and against the contract? And doesn't the contract 168 00:11:18,155 --> 00:11:20,235 Speaker 1: say you're doing the show and you're being paid this 169 00:11:20,355 --> 00:11:24,835 Speaker 1: much money. All television contracts are pay or play. All 170 00:11:24,875 --> 00:11:28,995 Speaker 1: the company has to do is pay you. They don't 171 00:11:28,995 --> 00:11:33,075 Speaker 1: have to play you. So the roughly sixteen million dollars 172 00:11:33,075 --> 00:11:36,075 Speaker 1: that Jimmy Kimmel is still owed in the twenty twenty 173 00:11:36,075 --> 00:11:38,555 Speaker 1: five to twenty six television season that just began and 174 00:11:38,715 --> 00:11:43,075 Speaker 1: ends May June July of next year, as long as 175 00:11:43,115 --> 00:11:45,955 Speaker 1: they pay him that money, he has no recourse. If 176 00:11:45,995 --> 00:11:50,515 Speaker 1: they do not absolutely slander him in any announcement about 177 00:11:50,555 --> 00:11:54,235 Speaker 1: canceling the show or in any suspension of the show, 178 00:11:54,555 --> 00:11:57,595 Speaker 1: If they do not materially damage him, he has no recourse. 179 00:11:58,355 --> 00:12:01,195 Speaker 1: He can only do one of two things, take the money, 180 00:12:02,075 --> 00:12:05,115 Speaker 1: or come out and slam ABC back, and then probably 181 00:12:05,235 --> 00:12:07,835 Speaker 1: forfeit the money, because then they could fire him for cause. 182 00:12:07,995 --> 00:12:10,715 Speaker 1: And I know this intimately because this is exactly what 183 00:12:10,755 --> 00:12:14,115 Speaker 1: Fox did to me on a much smaller scale, literally 184 00:12:14,395 --> 00:12:19,275 Speaker 1: one twentieth size. In two thousand and one. Fox wanted 185 00:12:19,315 --> 00:12:23,715 Speaker 1: me out. They were overspending on their cable sports operation, 186 00:12:24,195 --> 00:12:27,155 Speaker 1: and I was something like forty percent of the budget. 187 00:12:27,355 --> 00:12:29,675 Speaker 1: When I found that out, I sold my house because 188 00:12:29,675 --> 00:12:31,915 Speaker 1: I knew the thing couldn't last much longer. But what 189 00:12:31,995 --> 00:12:34,195 Speaker 1: Fox realized early in two thousand and one was they 190 00:12:34,235 --> 00:12:36,595 Speaker 1: were paying me an inordinate amount of money for something 191 00:12:36,635 --> 00:12:38,835 Speaker 1: that was not going to last much longer, and they 192 00:12:38,915 --> 00:12:40,955 Speaker 1: needed to take a gamble. Yes, they owed me one 193 00:12:40,995 --> 00:12:43,555 Speaker 1: hundred thousand dollars a month for the remaining eight months 194 00:12:43,555 --> 00:12:46,355 Speaker 1: of my contracts, but they could probably piss me off 195 00:12:46,435 --> 00:12:49,715 Speaker 1: enough that I would say something incredibly stupid and they 196 00:12:49,715 --> 00:12:52,675 Speaker 1: could fire me for cause instead of paying me eight 197 00:12:52,795 --> 00:12:55,515 Speaker 1: hundred thousand dollars to do nothing for the next eight 198 00:12:55,555 --> 00:12:58,035 Speaker 1: months while I was free to look around and try 199 00:12:58,035 --> 00:13:00,795 Speaker 1: to get a new job and then trash them once 200 00:13:00,835 --> 00:13:04,195 Speaker 1: I got the new job, and not before bad call 201 00:13:04,235 --> 00:13:06,715 Speaker 1: on their art on my worst day. I'm always going 202 00:13:06,755 --> 00:13:09,035 Speaker 1: to take that eight hundred thousand dollars to do nothing 203 00:13:09,235 --> 00:13:11,675 Speaker 1: and just save up all the terrible things I intended 204 00:13:11,675 --> 00:13:14,235 Speaker 1: to say about Fox, which I have been saying NonStop 205 00:13:14,275 --> 00:13:17,795 Speaker 1: since January first, two thousand and two. But it's exactly 206 00:13:17,835 --> 00:13:21,355 Speaker 1: the same situation. There is nothing, and there was nothing 207 00:13:21,435 --> 00:13:23,915 Speaker 1: in my contract, and there is nothing in Jimmy Kimmel's 208 00:13:23,915 --> 00:13:26,995 Speaker 1: contract that says you have to be on the air. 209 00:13:27,595 --> 00:13:29,275 Speaker 1: You do not have to be on the air. You 210 00:13:29,315 --> 00:13:32,755 Speaker 1: only have to be paid. That's it. There are no 211 00:13:32,875 --> 00:13:37,715 Speaker 1: other elements. Sometimes something can be twisted in such a 212 00:13:37,715 --> 00:13:42,035 Speaker 1: way that you may be able to say to your employer, 213 00:13:42,355 --> 00:13:45,475 Speaker 1: you took me off that show, you have breached my contract, 214 00:13:45,715 --> 00:13:47,435 Speaker 1: you owe me all the money, and I'm free to 215 00:13:47,515 --> 00:13:50,355 Speaker 1: leave now, which also happened to me at NBC. But 216 00:13:50,395 --> 00:13:53,315 Speaker 1: you really cannot force your way back onto a television 217 00:13:53,315 --> 00:13:55,915 Speaker 1: show or onto a television network just because you have 218 00:13:55,955 --> 00:14:00,195 Speaker 1: a contract. Your contract is to do the show if 219 00:14:00,235 --> 00:14:04,155 Speaker 1: they let you. Their contract is to pay you, whether 220 00:14:04,195 --> 00:14:07,515 Speaker 1: you do the show or not. So no, there is 221 00:14:07,595 --> 00:14:11,435 Speaker 1: no recourse for Jimmy Kimmel, and there is effidentally no 222 00:14:11,555 --> 00:14:16,235 Speaker 1: recourse for America. ABC could have stood up, could have 223 00:14:16,715 --> 00:14:20,315 Speaker 1: weathered the storm that would be coming, could have fought back, 224 00:14:21,035 --> 00:14:25,595 Speaker 1: and unfortunately, as I explained earlier, of all times, for 225 00:14:25,675 --> 00:14:30,475 Speaker 1: an egotistical old man holding on to his last remaining 226 00:14:30,555 --> 00:14:33,835 Speaker 1: glory before death, for him to be in charge of 227 00:14:33,835 --> 00:14:37,355 Speaker 1: a company like Disney, this is the worst for the 228 00:14:37,395 --> 00:14:41,755 Speaker 1: purposes of freedom of press in America, freedom of comment, 229 00:14:42,035 --> 00:14:47,155 Speaker 1: freedom of political expression, simply freedom. Bob Iger on the 230 00:14:47,195 --> 00:14:51,115 Speaker 1: side of the devils, taking it out on America so 231 00:14:51,155 --> 00:14:54,115 Speaker 1: he can maintain his power. I don't know how this 232 00:14:54,155 --> 00:14:57,835 Speaker 1: turns out. Perhaps Bob will get some sort of inspiration 233 00:14:58,475 --> 00:15:00,875 Speaker 1: from the realization that he's about to sell his country 234 00:15:01,115 --> 00:15:04,315 Speaker 1: to the fascists and participate even further in that process. 235 00:15:04,675 --> 00:15:07,715 Speaker 1: Perhaps the ABC people will all walk out. The problem, 236 00:15:07,755 --> 00:15:12,595 Speaker 1: of course, is this the same financial considerations that essentially 237 00:15:12,635 --> 00:15:18,035 Speaker 1: made the Stephen Colbert Show a financial impossibility. Certainly, going forward, 238 00:15:18,675 --> 00:15:23,475 Speaker 1: we'll make the Jimmy Kimmel Show a financial impossibility. If 239 00:15:23,835 --> 00:15:27,075 Speaker 1: they're not making money with the highest rated late night show, 240 00:15:27,235 --> 00:15:29,715 Speaker 1: why would they be making money with the second highest 241 00:15:29,795 --> 00:15:32,635 Speaker 1: rated show. And I know Kimmel disagrees with all of 242 00:15:32,675 --> 00:15:35,955 Speaker 1: the finances and all of the accounting, and I understand 243 00:15:35,955 --> 00:15:37,995 Speaker 1: that because I have said that before in the past. 244 00:15:38,075 --> 00:15:41,115 Speaker 1: I happen to think in this case that part is legit. 245 00:15:41,835 --> 00:15:44,835 Speaker 1: I will repeat, I believe, And it certainly isn't an 246 00:15:44,835 --> 00:15:47,835 Speaker 1: indicator that Colbert was not fired for political reasons. Because 247 00:15:47,835 --> 00:15:50,835 Speaker 1: Colbert is still on the air, depending on what he 248 00:15:50,835 --> 00:15:53,955 Speaker 1: says about Kimmel, perhaps they will try to fire him 249 00:15:53,955 --> 00:15:55,755 Speaker 1: for cause at some point, but they have not done 250 00:15:55,795 --> 00:15:59,315 Speaker 1: that yet, and the schedule is for Colbert to continue 251 00:15:59,315 --> 00:16:02,995 Speaker 1: into next year. The only thing, though, that CBS would 252 00:16:03,035 --> 00:16:05,875 Speaker 1: be required to do into next year is pay Colbert, 253 00:16:06,235 --> 00:16:08,515 Speaker 1: and there could be at any point in the next 254 00:16:09,075 --> 00:16:11,875 Speaker 1: eight months or so the opportunity for them simply to 255 00:16:11,915 --> 00:16:15,035 Speaker 1: take him off the air and hand him the cash. Sadly, 256 00:16:15,115 --> 00:16:18,675 Speaker 1: that is the way commercial broadcasting works in this country. 257 00:16:18,995 --> 00:16:21,515 Speaker 1: It is dependent on the goodwill and the courage of 258 00:16:21,555 --> 00:16:24,955 Speaker 1: the people who run it. I can tell you, having 259 00:16:24,995 --> 00:16:29,555 Speaker 1: now worked in television for forty four years, that the 260 00:16:29,595 --> 00:16:33,075 Speaker 1: amount of courage and goodwill among the people who manage 261 00:16:33,115 --> 00:16:36,995 Speaker 1: and own television operations in this country, news and otherwise, 262 00:16:37,675 --> 00:16:41,755 Speaker 1: it could fit into a thimble. And nobody knows that 263 00:16:41,835 --> 00:16:59,795 Speaker 1: better right now than Jimmy Kimmel. Countdown with Keith Olderman 264 00:16:59,955 --> 00:17:04,435 Speaker 1: is a production of iHeartRadio. For more podcasts from iHeartRadio, 265 00:17:04,755 --> 00:17:08,355 Speaker 1: is it the iHeartRadio app, Apple Podcasts or wherever you 266 00:17:08,435 --> 00:17:09,555 Speaker 1: get your podcasts.