Former MSNBC senior political analyst Matthew Dowd had a few choice words for his ex-colleagues now that they’ve condemned Jimmy Kimmel’s suspension, saying that despite having so much to say about the late night host’s removal, they had nothing to say about his.
“Not one person has said anything about me,” Dowd said during an appearance on Katie Couric’s podcast on Friday. “They’ve all gone out of their way to say, isn’t this horrible what happened to Jimmy Kimmel? Including Morning Joe [Scarborough] and Mika [Brzezinski], who went after me after the show, basically saying they were glad I was terminated.”
He continued, calling out his former MSNBC team for what he believes to be their seemingly selective outrage. “Today, they’re talking about how awful it is for our country that somebody like Jimmy Kimmel can’t say what he said and he is indefinitely suspended and not an iota about what their employer just did to another employee,” Dowd explained.
On Sept. 10, MSNBC fired Dowd for saying conservative political activist Charlie Kirk’s “hateful words” ultimately led to his fatal shooting. Dowd apologized for his remarks after his firing, assuring followers that he condemns all forms of violence.
“My thoughts & prayers are w/ the family and friends of Charlie Kirk. On an earlier appearance on MSNBC I was asked a question on the environment we are in,” he shared in a Bluesky post. “I apologize for my tone and words. Let me be clear, I in no way intended for my comments to blame Kirk for this horrendous attack. Let us all come together and condemn violence of any kind.”
ABC pulled Kimmel’s “Jimmy Kimmel Live!” from the air indefinitely on Wednesday over remarks he made about Kirk during his Monday monologue. Since then, several media figures, late night hosts and celebrities have used their platforms to call out what they see as an infringement on the First Amendment by President Donald Trump, who’s FCC Chairman Brendan Carr has continued to target Trump critics. On Thursday, Carr threatened “The View” once again that the daytime talk show may no longer be exempt from the commission’s equal opportunity broadcast rules.
For now, Kimmel’s return to ABC remains in the air, with affiliate owner Sinclair stating that a suspension is “not enough” and that an apology from the host, along with donations to Kirk’s Turning Point organization and his family, should be included as part of any comeback deal.
