From Dave Pell [https://nextdraft.com/archives/n20250918/?utm_source=substack&utm_medium=email]

I’ve been following Dave Pell for a long time. I’m fascinated by his ability to read widely and offer succinct synopses of what he reads. So daily, I read his newsletter, The Next Draft, keeping up with a range of happenings I wouldn’t otherwise know anything about. He’s one of those news aggregators who does a great job, and I find his take on the world, and his humour worthwhile.

Here’s his take on what the cancelling of the Jimmy Kimmel Show represents.

Even when it comes to his business, it’s always been personal for Jimmy Kimmel. He’s been taking major career risks by fighting for what he believes in for a long time. In 2017, motivated in part by his son’s medical challenges, he began using his monologue to challenge a terrible health care bill being pushed by the Senate GOP. Back then, some politicians and members of the media referred to a Jimmy Kimmel Test — used to determine whether a kid who was born with certain health difficulties would be covered and get everything they need (regardless of cost) during the first year of life. I suggested we adopt a different Jimmy Kimmel Test: Will a person take personal and professional risks to stand up for what’s right? As I wrote at the time, I can’t say many good things about Donald Trump, but I’ll give him this: Donald Trump is a values clarifier. He’s a living, breathing reminder of which values you cherish and what you’re willing to stand up for. We’ve spent countless hours analyzing the character of Donald Trump. But that’s a settled issue. 

The real character being tested is ours. We’ve seen that character wilt in our halls of Congress, our institutions, our universities, and our corporate boardrooms, as a parade of rapid-fire knee-bending has heralded in a new era of American exceptionalism—one in which we prove that no country capitulates to authoritarian tendencies faster than us. We’ve been let down over and over. 

But Jimmy Kimmel didn’t let us down. He kept calling out the Trump administration, even though he knew he was being targeted. Even though he knew that he had much at stake, given his career and huge public profile. It’s that kind of courage that inspires so many of us to wake up each morning, fire up the laptop, and continue to fight the good fight. Jimmy Kimmel is one of the best, most caring, most generous, and most popular people in Hollywood. 

Let’s hope his colleagues pass the 2025 Jimmy Kimmel Test: Will you stand up for someone who has been standing up for you for years? 

And let’s hope the rest of us pass that test too, because if his show’s coerced suspension isn’t stopped, the cancellations won’t stop there. Kimmel has always known that it’s personal. The rest of us better get that message soon.

The Jimmy Kimmel Test – it’s about speaking truth to power. So far, the mainstream media (print, TV, radio) have failed the test. They’ve kowtowed to trump et al. They seem to think that if they pay him off, in cash, in flattery, whatever, he’ll let them carry on. But pay once, and you keep on paying. 

At some point, people (who have easily given in) will learn they, too, will have to pass the Jimmy Kimmel Test.