Kimmel: The First Casualty of State Media

The Lincoln Project

Society & Culture, News Commentary, Government, Daily News, News, Politics

4.7 • 8.4K Ratings

🗓️ 19 September 2025

⏱️ 35 minutes

🔗️ Recording | iTunes | RSS

🧾️ Download transcript

Summary

Donald Trump and his handpicked FCC chair, Brendan Carr, just made satire a crime. After punishing ABC and Jimmy Kimmel’s late-night show getting pulled off-air, America is staring down the barrel of state-run media where free speech is no longer protected, jokes are illegal, and satire is treated as sedition. This episode dives into Trump’s FCC censorship crackdown, the chilling rise of state-controlled news, and what it means when a president can silence critics with the stroke of a pen. From the death of late-night comedy to the birth of authoritarian propaganda, Rick Wilson unpacks how Trump’s fragile ego and lust for power are reshaping American media into his own personal megaphone.
•
•
•
•
•
Follow Rick Wilson at @TheRickWilson on X and @therickwilson.bsky.social on Bluesky, and subscribe to his Substack at therickwilson.substack.com.

Join the fight with the Lincoln Project at www.lincolnproject.us and follow LP on X at @ProjectLincoln. If you'd like to help us continue our critical work, visit https://action.lincolnproject.us/helplp to make a difference.

Visit expressvpn.com/lincolnproject for an exclusive offer for our listeners.

Transcript

Click on a timestamp to play from that location

0:00.0	Want to try a free sample?
0:01.2	Oh, yeah, I do.
0:02.4	Wait, can something this small throw my body off balance?
0:05.6	Time to consult the online experts.
0:08.8	One bite will destroy your metabolism, drink butter coffee instead to kill cravings.
0:13.0	Insensitivity.
0:15.0	Stop it. Stop it.
0:17.0	Stop it!
0:18.0	They don't know your body. Only you do.
0:20.5	Signos pairs AI with a biosensor
0:22.5	so you can track your body's unique responses
0:24.8	to food, movement, and more in real time,
0:27.3	helping you achieve your health goals.
0:29.4	Signos.
0:30.2	Your task will not be an easy one.
0:32.4	Your enemy is well-trained, well-equipped, and battle-hardened.
0:36.3	There is not a liberal America and a conservative America.
0:40.0	There is the United States of America.
0:44.6	Good night and good luck.
0:47.0	Hey folks, thanks for joining me on Lincoln Square for The Elephant in the Room.
0:50.8	This is our weekly podcast where I try to peel back a little bit about what's
0:54.4	going on in the world and talk to you about the political underpinnings of the stories
	...

Please login to see the full transcript.

Previous episode | Next episode

Disclaimer: The podcast and artwork embedded on this page are from The Lincoln Project, and are the property of its owner and not affiliated with or endorsed by Tapesearch.

Generated transcripts are the property of The Lincoln Project and are distributed freely under the Fair Use doctrine. Transcripts generated by Tapesearch are not guaranteed to be accurate.