Matt Fleming: Democrats need to aim higher than Kimmel victory

“1 big thing: Dems taste victory,” blared an Axios headline this week.

What was the big Democrat victory? Was it some pro-union policy? Something addressing the cost of living? Foreign aid? A government shutdown averted with major concessions from Republicans?

No. Democrats in Congress are so lost in the woods right now that they are taking a victory lap over the return of Jimmy Kimmel to late night television.

You might remember that Kimmel was suspended last week after he made an incorrect and unfunny comment about Charlie Kirk’s assassin. The comment came at a time of sinking ratings for the show, and with ABC under threat of another lawsuit from President Donald Trump and the FCC considering television station group owner Nexstar’s merger with Tegna (Nexstar has 32 ABC affiliates; Tegna owns 13). Kimmel was ultimately suspended indefinitely after FCC Chairman Brendan Carr commented on X and in interviews what seemed like threats to carriers of Jimmy Kimmel Live!

But after public outrage, Kimmel came back, at least on some outlets, and so the Democrats took a victory lap. 

“This is big: Jimmy Kimmel is coming back!” Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer posted on X.

But is it really big, Senator?

“This is a good moment for America,” said Sen. Brian Schatz, a Hawaii Democrat. 

Guys, please relax. If this is “big,” if this is a “good moment for America,” then you really need to dream bigger. 

Carr and Trump are walking a very fine line with their threats to ABC and the pile on from them during the brief suspension of the show emboldened a free speech coalition. Even in this time of hyper partisanship, Carr’s comments drew bipartisan ire. Sen. Ted Cruz warned Trump supporters who were cheering Kimmel’s suspension might eat their words if a Democratic administration did something similar, and panned Carr’s comments as mafia-like. Sen. Mitch McConnell agreed. 

But there’s another side to this: It was a business decision as well. Kimmel’s ratings have  fallen from about 2.4 million viewers on average in 2015 to about 1.8 million viewers in the second quarter of 2025, which reflect a general decline in interest in late night talk shows. Ad revenue generated by all late night shows have declined from about $439 million in 2018 to about $221 million in 2024.  

Kimmel’s comments that got him suspended also weren’t funny. They weren’t even supposed to be funny. Jokes have setups and punchlines; this was merely half-baked political analysis. Kimmel has the right to say whatever he wants, within reason, without fear of government punishment – but that doesn’t save him from bosses who might feel he’s threatening the bottom line. 

Kimmel has a platform that he should use for good. An excellent example was in 2017 when he used his son’s congenital heart problem as a reason why Obamacare’s protections for pre-existing conditions were so vital. Even for those of us who don’t like Obamacare, Kimmel’s comments were powerful and persuasive. 

On the flipside, Kimmel, like everyone else with a boss, is not protected against saying dumb stuff and getting fired. He would be better off leaving the bad political commentary and rank partisanship to cable news and spending his time on air trying to be funny.

And for Democrats, who have struggled to gain traction and notch wins during Trump’s second administration, this is a win, I suppose, but that most reflects how lost they are. Getting Kimmel back on the air is not a big, good moment for America; it’s more like a good hour or two on a slow Monday.

Are voters who aren’t already with them going to care that they complained until Kimmel was back on air? Probably not. The voters they need to reach are going to care far more about the high cost of living than a show they don’t watch. 

Matt Fleming is an opinion columnist for the Southern California News Group. Email him at flemingwords@gmail.com and follow him on X @FlemingWords.