By WPS.News

ABC has suspended “Jimmy Kimmel Live!” indefinitely after Kimmel criticized the politicized reaction to the killing of conservative activist Charlie Kirk—an act rapidly spun by MAGA figures and then deflected with the familiar, false refrain: blame Antifa. Media reporters, rights advocates, and fellow hosts are calling the move censorship under political pressure, and they’re right to worry.

This isn’t an isolated media story; it’s part of a larger disinformation play. Antifa is not a centralized “organization.” It’s a loose, decentralized anti-fascist politics—a set of tactics and networks, not a membership group with leaders and dues. Scholars and journalists have been saying this for years, even as politicians try to brand “Antifa” as a monolithic enemy.

That branding isn’t just rhetorical. President Trump says he will label Antifa a “major terrorist organization,” a move that experts warn is legally dubious and politically inflammatory—especially given the decentralized reality described above.

We’ve seen this movie before. After the January 6 attack, pro-Trump influencers and officials pushed a lie that Antifa orchestrated the riot—a claim flatly contradicted by federal testimony, fact-checking, and subsequent watchdog reviews. FBI Director Christopher Wray told Congress there was no evidence Antifa organized Jan. 6. Independent fact-checkers and later inspector-general reporting reaffirmed that the “it was Antifa/FBI” narrative is propaganda, not proof.

So when a network caves on a late-night show after government surrogates publicly lean on broadcasters, that’s not “standards and practices.” It’s the chilling effect of state-aligned pressure on speech. The pattern looks even clearer after CBS’s earlier axing of Colbert—and major outlets are now saying the quiet part out loud: media companies are being pushed to punish Trump critics.

And about the “Antifa” smear itself: anti-fascism is a moral position, not a secret society. The GIs who stormed Omaha and Utah Beaches on June 6, 1944 didn’t wear an “Antifa” patch; they called themselves Americans. The point stands: opposing fascism is not extremism. Pretending otherwise is a propaganda trick designed to muddy accountability for far-right violence while intimidating media into silence.

Why this matters

  • Censorship risk: Government pressure on broadcasters to drop critical voices undermines a free press. Kimmel’s suspension fits a growing pattern.
  • Misinformation pipeline: Branding Antifa as a unified terror group enables blame-shifting whenever far-right actors commit violence—despite years of evidence to the contrary.
  • Democratic backslide: When merger-hungry media firms respond to political threats by policing satire and dissent, the public loses a vital check on power.

If you’re tired of the gaslighting, don’t let them define “anti-fascist” as the enemy. The enemy is fascism—and the propaganda ecosystem that launders it.

More: https://endfascism.xyz

References (APA)

Al Jazeera. (2025, September 18). What is Antifa? Retrieved from

Al Jazeera. (2025, September 18). Trump plans to designate anti-fascist Antifa movement a “terrorist” group. Retrieved from

Associated Press. (2025, September 19). Why was Jimmy Kimmel’s late-night show suspended? Retrieved from

FactCheck.org. (2021, January 7). Bogus Antifa claims follow Capitol riot. Retrieved from

People Magazine. (2025, September 17). Stephen Colbert reacts to ABC pulling “Jimmy Kimmel Live!” Retrieved from

Reuters. (2021, March 2). FBI chief says no evidence Antifa linked to Jan. 6 attack. Retrieved from

U.S. Dept. of Justice, Office of Inspector General. (2024, December 12). (Coverage summarized by AP/Reuters.) Report on FBI CHS presence around Jan. 6. Retrieved from

The Guardian. (2025, September 19). “Jimmy Kimmel Live!” suspended amid pressure over Charlie Kirk comments. Retrieved from

The Washington Post. (2025, September 18). Kimmel’s suspension confirms what many suspected after Colbert’s cancellation. Retrieved from

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