Kimmel to Carano: cancel culture isn't about free speech

Jimmy Kimmel is the latest celebrity to face the axe. His sudden “cancellation” has triggered street protests, online fury, and endless cries of hypocrisy. The refrain is familiar: “Why defend Kimmel if you didn’t defend Gina Carano, Roseanne, or Trump?”

But here’s the thing. Most of the so-called martyrs of “cancel culture” weren’t silenced for harmless opinions. They spread racism, antisemitism, or outright hate. Gina Carano compared being a Republican to being Jewish in Nazi Germany. Roseanne Barr called a Black woman an “ape”. Donald Trump used his platform to whip up a violent insurrection. This isn’t noble dissent – it’s discrimination and dangerous rhetoric dressed up as “free speech”.

Jimmy Kimmel axed: the loyalty test

This social media user cut straight to the chase:

For all those people coming out to support Jimmy Kimmel for apparently expressing an opinion, where were you all when @DaveChappelle @ginacarano @jk_rowling @Riley_Gaines_ and Chris Pratt, just to name a few, also shared their opinions and got huge backlash?

— Arthur Swindel (@ArthurSwindel) September 19, 2025

But here’s the problem: lumping Carano, Rowling, and Trump together under the “free speech” banner erases the reality of what they actually said. They weren’t dropped because they were brave truth-tellers. They were dropped because they caused real harm – and corporations decided they weren’t worth the brand damage.

It’s a loyalty test dressed up as principle. But there’s no neutral ground here. Disney didn’t drop Carano because she questioned government policy. It dropped her after repeated antisemitic and conspiratorial posts. Hollywood isn’t suddenly drawing hard lines – it’s just shifting them when a brand starts to look vulnerable.

Consumer theatre and selective outrage

Some frame cancellation as a personal boycott. One user explained how they cancelled Disney+ over Carano, then roped in friends to do the same:

I canceled Disney+ when they fired Gina Carano. I have been a Maslany fan for years, so I asked a friend with Disney+ to watch She-Hulk with me. He then canceled HIS Disney+ so it wouldn't happen again. https://t.co/rLF74ASylS

— Servant to Poo-bah the Cat (@PoobahTheCat) September 19, 2025

This is protest as consumer theatre. It’s not about holding corporations accountable for exploitation, climate destruction, or union busting. It’s about defending your chosen celebrity. And because it’s tribal, the target shifts: Carano’s firing is “woke censorship”, while Kimmel’s is “spineless corporate pandering”. The outrage depends entirely on who you already support.

Protest or circus?

In New York, people gathered outside ABC studios chanting “ABC, grow a spine!” and even declaring “we are facing fascism”:

🚨 NOW: Leftists have gathered in NYC outside ABC Studios demanding, "ABC, grow a spine!" due to Jimmy Kimmel's cancellation 😂

"We are facing FASCISM!"pic.twitter.com/g1cj9Bdpji

— Eric Daugherty (@EricLDaugh) September 18, 2025

Predictably, detractors rushed to mock them:

Didn't see this for Gina Carano or Johnny Depp.
Clowns! Evil and wicked clowns.

— JoaJoa's Bizarre Adventure (@jo_a2508) September 19, 2025

And that’s the game. Protesters put their bodies on the line because decisions made in boardrooms affect culture, jobs, and public debate. Meanwhile, critics sneer from the sidelines, painting every act of dissent as clownish. The irony? The real circus isn’t on the pavement – it’s in corporate offices where “cancellations” are reduced to brand management.

Fact-checks and shrugs

Others tried to anchor the discussion in fact. Meanwhile, indifference showed up too:

Not to nitpick but Gina Carano wasn’t fired. She repeatedly ignored studio warnings, posted antisemitic bullshite, & that resulted in her not getting hired for a project which got shelved.

She was outacted by a Muppet & a guy in a full face helmet, so NBD. pic.twitter.com/18Q4UjKFzy

— 🎼 Captain Antifa 🎶(nah, just antifa) (@aaronsama1313) September 18, 2025

Who’s Gina Carano? Serious question, as I take it just another MAGA schmuck?

— Elaine Sexton 🇨🇦🇨🇦 (@eleeSexton) September 19, 2025

Together, these reactions reveal the gulf. For some, Carano is a martyr. For others, she’s irrelevant. But in both cases, the real issue – how much power corporations hold over who gets platforms and who doesn’t – gets buried.

Silence in Hollywood

This social media user turned her anger towards Carano’s co-star Pedro Pascal:

https://t.co/vGN7U4lTmX

— Brittany Hugoboom (@BritHugoboom) September 19, 2025

Fans wanted solidarity. They got nothing. Because actors know exactly how the industry works: defending a colleague dumped for bigotry is career suicide.

The bigger picture

As this social media user put it:

Nobody can deny they aren't biased now. Why didn't all these celebrities and organisations in Hollywood run to the defence of people like Gina Carano? pic.twitter.com/1dYGpjfVsn

— Nyle Reilly (@NR_acting) September 19, 2025

The answer is obvious. Carano’s posts crossed a line into antisemitism, and Disney cut her. Roseanne’s tweet dripped with racism, and ABC dropped her. Trump incited violence against democracy, and platforms finally shut him down.

They weren’t misunderstood geniuses. They were bad actors who crossed clear lines.

Let’s stop pretending it’s about free speech

From Carano to Kimmel, cancel culture outrage always plays the same game. It paints celebrities as free-speech martyrs while quietly ignoring what they actually did.

Yet let’s stop pretending.

Carano didn’t lose work for “dissent”. Instead, she amplified antisemitism, and Disney cut her. Likewise, Roseanne didn’t face consequences for being edgy. Rather, she tweeted racist abuse, and ABC dropped her. In the same way, Trump didn’t get banned for his politics. Instead, he incited an attack on democracy, and platforms shut him down.

So yes – ‘cancel culture’ runs on power: who holds it, who wields it, and who gets away with it.

At the same time, it’s also about accountability. And if your so-called martyrs keep turning out to be racists, bigots, or bullies, then maybe the problem isn’t cancellation. Instead, the problem is who you’re choosing to defend.

Feature image via Screengrab.