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Plain English with Derek Thompson

The Jimmy Kimmel Saga and America's Free-Speech Crisis

Plain English with Derek Thompson

The Ringer

News Commentary, News

4.81.8K Ratings

🗓️ 19 September 2025

⏱️ 41 minutes

🧾️ Download transcript

Summary

Matt Belloni, the host of the Town podcast and the author of Puck’s 'What I’m Hearing' newsletter, joins the show to talk about Jimmy Kimmel's punishment, what happened behind the scenes at ABC and Disney, Bob Iger's legacy, and what this means at a moment when media companies are bending the knee to the Trump administration, which is clearly using its position to punish free speech despite rising to power by promising to do the opposite. If you have questions, observations, or ideas for future episodes, email us at [email protected]. Host: Derek Thompson Guest: Matt Belloni Producer: Devon Baroldi Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Transcript

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0:00.0

As the 21st century was getting underway, Hollywood released a series of films that were daring, entertaining, and absolutely unmissable.

0:09.0

Films like, 25th Hour, Bring It On, Zodiac, and No Country for Old Men.

0:15.0

They arrived during the George W. Bush era, a chaotic time in America.

0:19.0

Think 9-11, Katrina, the mortgage crisis. After the Bush era, a chaotic time in America. Think 9-11, Katrina, the mortgage crisis. After the Bush

0:24.5

years, the country would never be the same, and neither would Hollywood. I'm Brian Raftery,

0:31.9

and in my new limited series, Mission Accomplished, we're going to dive into some of the biggest

0:35.9

movies of the Bush years, and look at what they said about the state of the nation.

0:39.3

We'll go behind the scenes with filmmakers and experts

0:42.3

and relive some of your favorite movies from the early 2000s,

0:45.3

from Donnie Darko to Michael Clayton, from Anchorman to Iron Man.

0:49.3

So slip on your sketchers, dig out your old Nokia,

0:52.3

and join me from Mission Accomplished, starting

0:54.9

August 12th on the Big Picture Feet.

0:57.0

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1:26.4

managing vendor risk, Banta makes it quick, easy and scalable. And I'm not to say that because I work here. Get started today at banta.com. Hey, Anna, I've got a new secret weapon for print. Print? Vista print, right? That's not a secret. Print everything for your business with Vista print. Business cards, stickers, t-shirt, signage, even photo books from your last holiday.

1:46.5

If you need it, we print it at vistoprint.co.uk.

1:49.9

Today, the Jimmy Kimmel saga, the Trump administration's leverage, and the state of free speech in America.

...

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