I’m old enough to remember when Tipper Gore used the power of her position to launch a campaign against violent video games and music. What happened? Sales exploded. The government crackdown only made kids want it more.
The same dynamic is alive today. Trump’s FCC is threatening comedians, and Jimmy Kimmel has been pulled off the air. His jokes, apparently, are now a matter of national security (or insecurity). But when government tells you not to laugh, it makes people laugh louder.
This isn’t just censorship—it’s an opportunity. The late-night era on corporate networks was already fading. Kimmel could be the first to turn government suppression into rocket fuel for an independent media powerhouse.
I’ve built and advised rapid-response moments like this before. Here’s how I’d start if I were Jimmy Kimmel:
A 7-Day Independent Launch Plan
Day 0–1: Own the audience
One landing page: email + SMS capture. Promise: “This is where the show lives now.”
Two-minute manifesto, posted everywhere, but give BlueSky the exclusive first drop. Let trolls on X find out second-hand.
Name the project. Options: Kimmel Uncensored, After Hours with Jimmy Kimmel, or my favorite wild card: Kimmel’s Antifascist Variety Show (because we could all be Kavs).
Day 2–3: Light up the feed
4) Go live (35–45 min): monologue → 1 guest → 1 bit. Don’t wait for polish.
5) Clip factory: 8–12 verticals per episode within 12 hours. One mid-length cut daily. Every clip drives back to the sign-up page.
6) Launch “Backstage”—free list + one paid tier. Keep perks simple: ad-free feed, post-show Q&A, and notes from the writers’ room.
Day 4–7: Turn it into a movement
7) Host a “Comedy, Power & Censorship” special with a lawyer, a fellow late-night host, and one big non-political star.
8) Simulcast across major platforms, but archive the canonical version on an owned site/app. Mirror everything.
9) Build community: Discord or chat, with fans feeding cold-open button lines and runner gags.
Daily newsletter: highlight the best clip, offer referral unlocks (“Invite 5 friends → 1 month Backstage free”).
Creator collabs: stitches, duets, cameos.
FAST pilot: within 30 days, offer a nightly replay on Roku/Pluto/Tubi — “late-night without the leash.”
Monetization (diversified from day one)
Skip timid sponsors. Do host-reads with brand-brave partners. Costco already proved there’s big business in bucking fascists.
Live shows quarterly; members get early access + greenroom meet-ups.
Build a donor lane: a circle funding free-speech defenses for creators, run by a trusted org.
Core message architecture
“I wasn’t canceled. I was moved—out of the lobby and into your living room.”
“No billionaire bosses. No government hall monitors. Just comedy.”
“If you like free speech, subscribe. If you love it, join Backstage.”
P.S. If this finds Team Kimmel: I’ve helped stand up rapid-response machines before when seconds mattered. Happy to share the deeper playbook, all the details on the tech stack, staffing, legal templates, and growth experiments. Anything I can do to help turn this moment into something stronger.