Exclusive: Mike Lindell calls out Jimmy Kimmel’s return—and I think he’s right

Editorial | By Easton Martin | September 23, 2025

Jimmy Kimmel, the once-canceled late-night host, is now slated to return to TV following additional talks with Disney. Kimmel, who was initially suspended for his comments regarding Charlie Kirk, still finds himself in hot water despite his return. While the left has framed Kimmel’s cancellation as a violation of free speech and a silencing of the opposition, people have begun to notice that Kimmel isn’t the impartial arbiter of truth some imagined him to be.

In a 2021 episode of Jimmy Kimmel Live!, Kimmel hosted entrepreneur and election integrity advocate Mike Lindell. During the episode, Kimmel pressed Lindell on topics of election security, even going so far as to interview him inside a claw machine.

“Do you distrust sewing machines? What about ice machines?” Jimmy asked mockingly while Lindell was inside the contraption.

The tactic was clever, albeit deceitful. Kimmel’s goal was to paint Lindell as a kook who distrusts voting machines simply because they are machines. That may play well to the triple-vaxxed crowd who watch late-night television, but does it really accomplish anything for people willing to honestly listen to the other side?

A recent study revealed that Kimmel has hosted only one conservative guest over the last four years, Mike Lindell. Is anyone truly naïve enough to believe Kimmel is some sort of fair and balanced hero of free speech? His real goal was not virtuous. It was to solidify a narrative: that disagreeing with the “consensus” on election integrity is something only silly people do.

I spoke with Mr. Lindell about the Kimmel saga, his own appearance on the show, Kimmel’s cancellation, and his sudden “uncancellation.”

“This was probably a business decision by Disney and ABC, but I am very surprised that this was their decision,” said Mike.

“He has attacked me, and our network LindellTV repeatedly, and has spread disinformation, but he has certainly given us advertising.”

Why would Lindell agree to go on Kimmel’s show in the first place, knowing the deck was stacked against him? He explained: “I went on because this was the only way to get the word out on the machines. Jimmy Kimmel has lied about me, and I don’t think he should be on TV.”

Some conservatives thought going on the show was reckless. I disagree. It showed Lindell’s fearlessness in the face of scrutiny. While many conservatives ran into hiding after 2020, Lindell kept fighting. Even if Kimmel’s goal was to humiliate him, it didn’t work. Instead, the fact that Lindell was the only conservative guest in four years revealed not just his willingness to confront critics but also Kimmel’s true intentions.

If I’m being honest, I agree that Jimmy Kimmel shouldn’t be on air. Not even because of his comments about Charlie Kirk, but because he suffers from the same disease afflicting nearly every late-night host today: being a shameless mouthpiece for the left. Kimmel represents the stereotypical “edgy” Gen-X comedian whose favorite pastime is mocking conservatives.

Now, I’ll grant him this, as I did when I wrote about Stephen Colbert’s cancellation. Jimmy can be funny. He wouldn’t still (barely) be on TV if he wasn’t at least occasionally entertaining. But his brand has become almost entirely political mockery, and that’s why people are tuning out.