Talk show host Jimmy Kimmel got suspended indefinitely on Wednesday. Even criminals get a term for their sentence, but Kimmel operates in total limbo. He doesn’t know if he will ever come back.
That’s a dramatic situation. But it’s also sadly familiar.
Just a few weeks ago, Stephen Colbert lost his job as host of The Late Show on CBS. Like Kimmel, it’s worse than a suspension—CBS won’t replace Colbert. Instead they will walk away from the entire late night talk show business.
The Ed Sullivan Theater might just shut down. It’s not only the end of a host. It’s the end of an era.
There may be more carnage to come. In the aftermath, experts are saying that the whole talk show format is dead.
“Late-night has a huge problem right now,” admits Paramount boss Jeff Shell. “You can’t make it work economically anymore.”
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Who’s next? Howard Stern might disappear from SiriusXM. The View could be on shaky ground. Streaming host Bill Maher fears he might be next to go.
Of course, it’s more than economics. The whole concept of uncensored, free-flowing conversation is disappearing from TV.
Opinions are dangerous. Jokes are dangerous. Even pronouns started to get dangerous. How did we get here?
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