Disney-owned ABC made headlines yesterday by suspending late-night host Jimmy Kimmel indefinitely following a firestorm of controversy surrounding his recent monologue.
During the segment, Kimmel falsely claimed that the assassin of political commentator Charlie Kirk was a MAGA Republican, a statement quickly proven untrue. The inflammatory comment ignited outrage, especially from those demanding accountability for spreading misinformation during such a sensitive time. Many also noted Kimmel's tone lacked even basic respect for Kirk's family amid the incident.
Enter Ben Stiller.
The actor-director, who hasn't exactly been a go-to sage in political discourse, decided this was his moment to take a stand. Quoting the announcement of Kimmel's suspension on Twitter (or X, depending on your level of Elon fatigue), Stiller declared: "This isn't right."
And then, just as quickly as he joined the conversation, he shut it down. Literally.
Stiller disabled replies to the tweet almost immediately, making it impossible for anyone to engage, question, agree, or point out the glaring irony. In effect, he posted a complaint about a private company silencing commentary they didn't like… while silencing any commentary he didn't like.
It's a moment of cognitive dissonance so pure, it could only be a Hollywood production.
To be clear, yes Stiller has every right to limit replies to his social media posts. The platform allows for that. But when you're making a public statement about the dangers of limiting public statements that are disagreeable, it's not a great look to slam the door shut the moment you speak.
What makes this even more tone-deaf is that Kimmel's suspension wasn't arbitrary. It wasn't the result of some shadowy censorship campaign. It was about spreading verifiably false information on national television - something that, at a minimum, warrants corporate scrutiny in today's hyper-polarized media landscape.
That's not to say networks always get it right. And yes, conversations about media bias, free speech, and accountability are important. But Stiller didn't open the door to conversation. He opened it just long enough to yell his opinion into the void, and then bolted it shut behind him.
If you're going to stand up for "free speech," it seems you should be willing to hear some of it in return.
Otherwise, you're not standing up for anyone's voice. You're just making a scene and cutting the mic before anyone can talk back.
That's, ironically, something Charlie Kirk never did.
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Disclaimer: The opinions expressed in this article are those of the author and do not necessarily reflect the opinions of Not the Bee or any of its affiliates.
