Jimmy Failla Schools Jimmy Kimmel on Free Speech Hypocrisy
'Fox Across America' host says what Legacy Media can't admit
Jimmy Kimmel deserves credit for surviving in late-night TV for 23-plus years.
Think that’s easy? Just ask:
- Dennis Miller
- Magic Johnson
- Joan Rivers
- Alan Thicke
- Chevy Chase
- Pat Sajak
- Keenan Ivory Wayans
There’s some serious talent on that list. Their late-night shows never made it to the five-year mark. Chase was history after just five weeks.
Chevy bleepin’ Chase!
Kudos to Kimmel, but the ride is almost over. He has himself partly to blame.
Late-night TV was destined to fail in the 21st century. We have too many satirical options at our disposal, from TikTok shtick to YouTube-based comics.
Any given “Dumpster Fire” from Bridget Phetasy is smarter, funnier and more unpredictable than “Jimmy Kimmel Live!”
What Kimmel and co. did, by embracing a predictable, far-Left posture, has hastened the format’s departure. “Fox Across America” host Jimmy Failla broke it down on Friday’s edition of his syndicated radio show.
Failla discussed Kimmel’s recent trip to New York City, away from his L.A. home base. That meant a crush of fellow TDS sufferers, including John Oliver and Seth Meyers, joined Kimmel’s couch.
That hints at the bigger problem afoot for late-night.
First, Failla debunked any talk that late-night hosts mock President Donald Trump at their peril.
“We live in America,” said Failla, who also hosts “Fox News Saturday Night.” “If it was brave to make fun of the president, it would be because you were under some type of threat or duress … the only reason [Stephen] Colbert got cancelled and Jimmy Kimmel is not getting renewed is because their shows are losing a lot of money.”
CBS repeatedly said “The Late Show” with Stephen Colbert lost $40 million a year, a figure that no news organization has been able to debunk. Kimmel’s contract situation is up in the air, with ABC honchos eager to trim the budget before moving forward.
We do know that late-night TV revenue has been sinking like a stone for some time.
Still, the bigger problem with late-night TV in the Trump era is simple, Failla says. The business model is a trainwreck.
“If you went on ‘Shark Tank,’ and you pitched a show – we’re gonna come on every night and give the middle finger to half of our customers. And the other half of the customers are gonna get such a redundant product that it’s going to lose the element of surprise. People are no longer going to know that it’s a comedy show, because they’re going to hear such a consistent viewpoint pounded into their skulls that they feel they’re at an activist lecture.”
That can still draw a crowd, he notes.
“There are enough self-hating white people in New York City to watch a show like this, but are there enough self-hating white people around the country to make one of these shows with their massive budgets profitable?
Enter a classic Failla audio drop – “Not even close!”
Jimmy Kimmel’s biggest problem is he’s doing a purposeful late-night comedy show.
@jimmyfailla says this formula of intentionally alienating half your potential audience is always going to fail!
More of Friday’s show on the podcast: https://t.co/jPZhAoauk2 https://t.co/r31OvMRqVQ
— foxacrossamerica (@FAAjimmy) October 2, 2026
“That’s why they’re under threat. The FCC isn’t taking them off the air. Trump’s not putting them in jail,” he continued. “Freedom of speech means the government won’t arrest you for the things you say. It does not mean your employer has to continue to employ you if the show is in the red $40 or $50 million a year.”
Failla played a clip of Oliver, on “Jimmy Kimmel Live!” suggesting that his colleague is safe, for now, but that may not be the case moving forward.
It’s Fear Cosplaying 101.
“They literally think that these comedians are under attack,” Failla said. “They’re not.”
“You know who’s under attack when liberals are in power? Podcasters who said the vaccine didn’t work. The government was pressuring social media companies to boot them,” he said. “You know who was under attack? People losing their jobs because they didn’t agree with the government’s view … none of them happened to be late-night shows.”