Free Republic
Browse · Search
News/Activism
Topics · Post Article

Skip to comments.

Where Did Jimmy Kimmel Get the Idea that Charlie Kirk's Assassin was Right Wing?
Hotair ^ | 09/19/2025 | John Sexton

Posted on 09/19/2025 10:00:41 PM PDT by SeekAndFind

There's an ongoing debate, happening almost exclusively on the far left, about whether or not Jimmy Kimmel even said what everyone else thinks he said. Rolling Stone is leading this charge.

“We hit some new lows over the weekend with the MAGA gang desperately trying to characterize this kid who murdered Charlie Kirk as anything other than one of them and doing everything they can to score political points from it,” Kimmel said during his monologue on Monday.  

Kimmel’s slightly ambiguous comments came after conservatives spent the weekend blaming the left and transgender people for Kirk’s killing. At the time, the public knew little about the alleged shooter’s motives. Prosecutors disclosed on Tuesday that the suspect, Tyler Robinson, told his trans roommate and apparent romantic partner, “I had enough of his hatred.”...

While there’s some room for disagreement about what Kimmel meant or was trying to say, he did not actually say on ABC that the alleged killer was a MAGA member, as the right would have you believe. 

This is apparently the exact defense that Kimmel himself was planning to use on Wednesday night. It was after learning about his plan to defend his comments as being taken out of context that the suits at Disney decided to pull his show indefinitely.

But most people, even most people on the left, have been more honest about what Kimmel seemed to be saying. Here's Vox, definitely not a right-wing outlet, description of what got Kimmel in trouble:

Kimmel’s downfall began with some admittedly ill-advised speculation in Monday’s monologue: “We hit some new lows over the weekend with the MAGA gang desperately trying to characterize this kid who murdered Charlie Kirk as anything other than one of them, and doing everything they can to score political points from it.”

At the time, the evidence suggested the shooter very likely was not a MAGA believer (and evidence released the next day showed that he almost certainly was on the political left).

This is pretty similar to what Brian Stelter said on CNN (see here). 

Kimmel was expressing what we’ve heard some other liberals say in recent days that the motives are unclear and that maybe the suspect in this case was a Republican or was some sort of far right fringe figure. Of course, there has been a lot of discussion about that in recent days. There’s a lot of evidence pointing in other directions about the suspect, but Kimmel was on the air talking about this, making a very serious commentary amid his jokes in his monologue Monday night.

I think it's fair to say that a lot of people on the left at least understood what it was people on the right were reacting to. It wasn't Kimmel's flat joke about Trump's stages of grief, it was the suggestion that the killer was right wing.

And for the record, as someone who followed this very closely, that was not a close call as of Monday afternoon when Kimmel recording his remarks. It was already clear from several sources that the shooter had expressed anti-Trump and anti-Kirk commentary. Also it was widely known that he was in a relationship with a trans person and by Sunday Axios was reporting that people close to the investigation believed his views on trans issues might be the key to his motive.

You can argue that it wasn't as clear Monday as it would become after the charging document was published Tuesday, but if you were paying attention as of Sunday, all of the evidence seemed to be lining up in one direction.

And yet, polling shows that as of last weekend, a plurality of Democrats believed Kirk's shooter was right-wing. And that raises an interesting question. Where did Jimmy Kimmel in particular get that idea? Nate Silver talked through that today at his site.

Kirk’s alleged assassin, Tyler Robinson, appeared to confess to the murder in Discord chats. While Robinson’s motivations seem somewhat confused, as is often the case with assassins, and while we should approach any reporting on this topic with caution, the notion that Robinson was some sort of “Groyper” who killed Kirk because Kirk was too liberal appears to be wrong. “I had enough of his hatred. Some hate can’t be negotiated out,” Robinson wrote to his roommate, whom Utah governor Spencer Cox described as “a romantic partner, a male transitioning to female.” (I mention that just because high levels of trans acceptance typically isn't a MAGA trait.) Kimmel has reportedly been obstinate in refusing to correct the record.

So where was Kimmel getting this from? Well, maybe from Bluesky. Or (gulp) maybe from Substack. As Gabe Fleisher pointed out, Heather Cox Richardson, the author of the #1 U.S. politics newsletter Letters from an American, wrote this weekend that Robinson “appears to have embraced the far right, disliking Kirk for being insufficiently radical.” Richardson presented no evidence for this; it’s wishful thinking at best. But really, it's just a falsehood; like Fleisher, I’ll be polite and not use the term “lie” just because I don’t know what’s in Richardson’s head.

I’m not looking to pick a fight with Richardson (I know some of you subscribe to her) or Kimmel. But the progressive epistemic bubble is getting really bad. Maybe not worse than the MAGA bubble — but bad, and progressives often rationalize bad behavior by saying whatever the other side is doing is worse. This has already had serious consequences, such as denialism about Joe Biden’s deteriorating condition last year, which they blamed on unfair media coverage. Kimmel is a relatively mainstream figure, so if this sort of misinformation about Robinson is making its way to him — and in scripted remarks, not off-the-cuff comments like Dowd’s — that suggests the bubble is expanding, slowly devouring the reality-based community, and that formerly rational commentators have trouble escaping it once they’re past the event horizon.

That Gabe Fleisher post he mentions is worth looking at.

After quoting Republicans who had blamed the political left for Kirk’s assassination, Richardson writes:

But in fact, the alleged shooter was not someone on the left. The alleged killer, Tyler Robinson, is a young white man from a Republican, gun enthusiast family, who appears to have embraced the far right, disliking Kirk for being insufficiently radical.

I’m always hesitant to use the word “lie,” because it’s a word that purports to know what’s in someone’s head (i.e. that they know what they are saying is not true). So, instead, I’ll just say that Richardson’s statement here is extremely, extremely incorrect...

If anything, by the time Richardson hit “publish,” an official, reliable source had already indicated the exact opposite. “It’s very clear to us and to the investigators that this was a person who was deeply indoctrinated with leftist ideology,” Utah Gov. Spencer Cox — a moderate Republican who has been praised by the left and right for his response to Kirk’s shooting — told the Wall Street Journal in an article published early Saturday.

Perhaps strangest of all was her claim that Robinson disliked Kirk for being insufficiently radical. As Fleisher points out, that was pure fantasy.

Richardson goes on to support her statement by saying that he is a “young white man” (which, of course, does not tell us his politics) “from a Republican, gun enthusiast family” (it’s true that his parents were Republicans and had photographed him with guns, but this also tells us nothing about the son’s politics) “who appears to have embraced the far right, disliking Kirk for being insufficiently radical” (a statement for which there is zero evidence).

I pointed out some of the people who were spreading this particular fantasy on Bluesky and X here. Keith Olbermann, David Shuster, Jemele Hill and many others were pushing this hard all weekend (I also mentioned Heather Cox Richardson.)

As Nate Silver says, this was exactly the sort of online nonsense that the left routinely labels misinformation, but only when it comes from the right. In this case, Jemele Hill deleted her tweet on Bluesky but Olbermann and Shuster have not and, so far as I know, Heather Cox Richardson also hasn't issued a correction.

There was never any proof any of this was true but I guess enough people on Bluesky were all agreeing with the same false claims that Jimmy Kimmel thought he was safe repeating it in his monologue.

Unfortunately, I don't think we'll ever know the truth because, as mentioned above, Kimmel planned to double down and claim he was taken out of context. So, in his mind, he never said the thing that almost everyone thinks he said.


TOPICS: Culture/Society; News/Current Events
KEYWORDS: assassin; charliekirk; consequenceculture; delusional; heathercoxrichardson; heatherrichardson; heathersuxcox; jimmykimmel; kimmel; leftwingnuts; libmyths; maga; myths; olbermann
Navigation: use the links below to view more comments.
first 1-2021-4041-42 next last

1 posted on 09/19/2025 10:00:41 PM PDT by SeekAndFind
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | View Replies]

To: SeekAndFind

“Idea”?

Oh geeze. It wasn’t an idea. Okay


2 posted on 09/19/2025 10:05:27 PM PDT by stanne (Because they were mesmerized by Obama, the man for whom this was named, whose name they left out of )
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 1 | View Replies]

To: SeekAndFind

He stood in the way of a big money deal. After the Colbert example, he should have known better than to give the suits an excuse to fire his ass.


3 posted on 09/19/2025 10:08:11 PM PDT by gundog (The ends justify the mean tweets. )
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 1 | View Replies]

To: SeekAndFind

Jimmy was creating a false narrative Democrats could parrot.


4 posted on 09/19/2025 10:08:27 PM PDT by yesthatjallen
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 1 | View Replies]

To: stanne
According to an insider report by the Wall Street Journal, Kimmel's ouster was prompted by an immediate revolt by viewers and affiliate networks including Nexstar, and concerned advertisers.

Advertisers and affiliates soon called the network expressing concern about Kimmel’s show... -WSJ


5 posted on 09/19/2025 10:09:04 PM PDT by SeekAndFind
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 2 | View Replies]

To: stanne
FROM THE WALL STREET JOURNAL:

"Mr. Kimmel’s comments about the death of Mr. Kirk are offensive and insensitive at a critical time in our national political discourse, and we do not believe they reflect the spectrum of opinions, views, or values of the local communities in which we are located," said Andrew Alford, president of Nexstar's broadcasting division. "Continuing to give Mr. Kimmel a broadcast platform in the communities we serve is simply not in the public interest at the current time, and we have made the difficult decision to preempt his show."
6 posted on 09/19/2025 10:10:32 PM PDT by SeekAndFind
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 2 | View Replies]

To: SeekAndFind

Thanks. It doesn’t take a wimp gop senator from Texas to know this


7 posted on 09/19/2025 10:13:29 PM PDT by stanne (Because they were mesmerized by Obama, the man for whom this was named, whose name they left out of )
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 5 | View Replies]

To: SeekAndFind

The Left lives in a bubble in which they only hear their own propaganda, and the truth is not important. Truth is whatever you want depending on who you convince into believing your lies.


8 posted on 09/19/2025 10:16:37 PM PDT by Telepathic Intruder
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 1 | View Replies]

To: SeekAndFind

From the charging document, the State of Utah vs Tyler James Robinson:

“Robinson’s mother explained that over the last year or so, Robinson had become more political and had started to lean more to the left – becoming more pro-gay and trans-rights oriented. She stated that Robinson began to date his roommate, a biological male who was transitioning genders. This resulted in several discussions with family members, but especially between Robinson and his father, who have very different political views. In one conversation before the shooting, Robinson mentioned that Charlie Kirk would be holding an event at UVU, which Robinson said was a “stupid venue” for the event. Robinson accused Kirk of spreading hate.”


9 posted on 09/19/2025 10:18:29 PM PDT by jonrick46 (Leftniks chase illusions of motherships at the end of the pier.)
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 1 | View Replies]

To: SeekAndFind

The far left “media” had one of their morons spreading that crap on TV before Charlie’s body got cold.


10 posted on 09/19/2025 10:43:48 PM PDT by FlingWingFlyer (God Bless Charlie Kirk.)
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 1 | View Replies]

To: SeekAndFind
There was never any proof any of this was true but I guess enough people on Bluesky were all agreeing with the same false claims that Jimmy Kimmel thought he was safe repeating it in his monologue.


11 posted on 09/19/2025 10:44:30 PM PDT by kiryandil (No one in AZ that voted for Trump voted for Gallego )
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 1 | View Replies]

To: SeekAndFind

Every time there is a shooting, the Left AUTOMATICALLY blames MAGA. They start that crap for their pet zombies, it keeps them fired up. Evidence in front of their faces does not matter.

There were too many witnesses this time and the possibility of a MAGA assassin shooting OUR Charlie Kirk made no logical sense...except to Jimmy Kimmel


12 posted on 09/19/2025 10:47:10 PM PDT by madison10 (There are more things in heaven and earth, Horatio, than are dreamt of in your philosophy.)
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 1 | View Replies]

To: SeekAndFind

So called social media is absolutely flooded with memes and posts saying the murderer is MAGA.

It comes from Democrat propaganda mills, Russian and Chicom influence operations.


13 posted on 09/19/2025 10:50:07 PM PDT by ifinnegan (Democrats kill babies and harvest their organs to sell)
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 1 | View Replies]

To: SeekAndFind

The Left lives in a world of make-believe.


14 posted on 09/19/2025 10:56:09 PM PDT by UnwashedPeasant (The pandemic we suffer from is not COVID. It is Marxist Democrat Leftism. )
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 1 | View Replies]

To: SeekAndFind

He made it up.


15 posted on 09/19/2025 10:59:20 PM PDT by aquila48 (Do not let them make you "care" ! Guilting you is how they. control you. )
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 1 | View Replies]

To: SeekAndFind
Jimmy couldn't help himself, as we all know full well he always leads with his hatred of everything and everyone on the right. Remember, he has a staff of ‘comedy’ writers that along with himself script everything for him. They vet everything in his monologue with a fine tooth comb. What he said and wanted to do was accuse the right of being responsible for the whole thing, including Charlie's cold blooded murder. It was pure Jimmy, the hateful leftist maggot that we all know so well.
16 posted on 09/19/2025 11:13:12 PM PDT by Bullish (My tagline ran off with another man, but it's ok---- I wasn't married to it.)
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 1 | View Replies]

To: SeekAndFind

Hearing him say that shocked me. I had heard no one else espouse that language to describe the suspect.


17 posted on 09/19/2025 11:27:19 PM PDT by grame (May you know more of the love of God Almighty this day!)
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 1 | View Replies]

To: SeekAndFind

The left can get all butthurt about this, but it was a financial decision by Disney. A decision made far easier by a celebrities insensitivity and crassness. This was not government censorship. It was the ABC affiliates deciding to pre-empt the show for the foreseeable future, thus screwing with ABC’s ad revenue. In a capitalist system the worse thing you can do is cost your employer more money than you bring in. And that’s what ol’ pea-brain Kimmel did. He has himself to blame, he’s no censorship martyr. And to portray him as such is the height of disingenuousness.

CC


18 posted on 09/19/2025 11:27:43 PM PDT by Celtic Conservative (*This is a test of the emergency tagline system. This is only a test*)
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 1 | View Replies]

To: yesthatjallen

As a news junkie I am almost certain one of the leftist TV media people said very early that day that the family the killer came from was conventional and not left wing. Then assumed the son, the killer, was too and “from the MAGA element of America” or something close to that. Conjecture by them.

Low IQ leftists wishing for a smear job against us.


19 posted on 09/19/2025 11:28:19 PM PDT by frank ballenger (There's a battle outside and it's raging. It'll soon shake your windows and rattle your walls. )
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 4 | View Replies]

To: SeekAndFind

DNC talking points memo.


20 posted on 09/19/2025 11:29:24 PM PDT by Organic Panic ('Was I molested. I think so' - Ashley Biden in response to her father joining her in the shower. D)
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 1 | View Replies]


Navigation: use the links below to view more comments.
first 1-2021-4041-42 next last

Disclaimer: Opinions posted on Free Republic are those of the individual posters and do not necessarily represent the opinion of Free Republic or its management. All materials posted herein are protected by copyright law and the exemption for fair use of copyrighted works.

Free Republic
Browse · Search
News/Activism
Topics · Post Article

FreeRepublic, LLC, PO BOX 9771, FRESNO, CA 93794
FreeRepublic.com is powered by software copyright 2000-2008 John Robinson