Kennedy amplifies viral satire on liberal comedy’s collapse, rips Kimmel
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Health and Human Services Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr. used the post to take aim at Jimmy Kimmel as his “The Late Show” era draws to a close, praising Stephen Colbert’s viral satirical X thread about the decline of late-night TV and liberal comedy on Saturday.
Kennedy framed the post to explain why Kimmel was receiving backlash from conservatives for his comments about his job as a comedian.
“An excellent examination of the shocking collapse of liberal comedy,” Kennedy wrote. “This is the best explanation of how we got to the point where Late Night host Jimmy Kimmel can say, ‘It’s not my job to be funny.’ As this writer has shown, he was hired as a comedian but made himself a priest.”
Kennedy’s message amplified It was a satirical piece written by Peter Girnus, who wrote the piece as a fictional “CBS Senior Vice President of Late Night Strategy.”
In the satire, Girnus focused on Colbert’s transition from his Comedy Central persona to his persona in the final show.
Robert F. Kennedy Jr. praised the title of a viral satire criticizing modern late-night television, arguing that liberal comedy has shifted from humor to ideological validation. (David Berding/Getty Images)
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“We killed the character and brought the real man on stage. The real man was a speaker. Serious. Thoughtful. He was truthful about everything,” Girnus wrote. “Right, not funny.”
Following Kennedy’s praise, Girnus suggested that the problem lies not just with one host but with a culture that punishes jokes outside liberal orthodoxy.
RFK Jr. joined conservative criticism of Jimmy Kimmel and late-night television after he shared a satirical post claiming comedians had become political “priests” rather than entertainers. (Graeme Sloan/Bloomberg via Getty Images)
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“Liberal comedy has become a system of excommunication that works as designed,” Girnus wrote.
The broader fight comes after Kimmel defended his political commentary last month on the “IMO” podcast hosted by former First Lady Michelle Obama and Craig Robinson. Kimmel said he got angry when critics told him his job was just to make people laugh, Fox News Digital reported.
“Don’t tell me what my job is,” Kimmel said. “My job is whatever I decide my job is or whatever my employer allows me to do.”
“I love when the audience laughs. There’s nothing more exciting than that for me.”
A viral satirical essay about Stephen Colbert, comedy, and political expediency sparked controversy online after Robert F. Kennedy Jr. called it the “best explanation” for the decline of liberal comedy. (Screenshot/GIS)
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Girnus’s response framed this tension as evidence that late-night comedy had become an authentication ritual for liberal audiences rather than unpredictable entertainment.
“The echo chamber cannot produce comedy,” Girnus wrote. “Comedy is the act of saying what the room does not expect. An echo chamber is a room that punishes the unexpected.”
Stephen Colbert and guest Jimmy Kimmel appear on the Late Show with Stephen Colbert on September 30, 2025 in New York City. (Scott Kowalchyk/CBS)
CBS announced in July 2025 that “The Late Show with Stephen Colbert” would end in May 2026 and the series would be retired.
The network called the move “a purely financial decision in a challenging environment for late night” and said it was “in no way related to the show’s performance, content, or other issues occurring at Paramount.”
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Fox News Digital reached out to ABC for comment but did not immediately receive a response.
