It only took a few months, but the White House finally responded to a petition on its “We the People” page calling for the termination of “Jimmy Kimmel Live” after a child said everyone in China should be killed.
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Following a segment on Kimmel’s ABC late-night show,”Jimmy Kimmel Live,” that discussed the government shutdown with a group of children, a petition was filed on the “We the People” site calling for the show to be cut and an apology issued. After the petition received more than 100,000 signatures — the threshold to receive an official response from the administration — the White House issued its response three months later.
“The Federal government cannot force ABC to remove this show,” the White House stated in its rebuttal. “The First Amendment of the Constitution protects free speech, even if individuals might personally find it offensive or distasteful. It may be upsetting when people say things we might personally disagree with, but the principle of protected free speech is an important part of who we are as a nation.”
Kimmel’s segment, which aired Oct. 16, featured a table of 5- and 6-year-olds. The host talked with the children about the country’s debt, saying the U.S. owed China $1.3 trillion, and asked his panel how the country should pay them back.
One of the children suggested the U.S. “shoot cannons all the way over and kill everyone in China.”
The segment raised many eyebrows, prompting protests from Chinese-American groups and the White House petition.
“The kids might not know anything better. However, Jimmy Kimmel and ABC’s management are adults,” the petition stated. “They had a choice not to air this racist program, which promotes racial hatred.”
Both ABC and Kimmel issued formal apologies, and the segment was discontinued from future broadcasts. The White House, in its formal response to the petition, said the statements made on the show do not reflect those of the country and the federal government.
“On a broader level, as the President has stated publicly, the United States welcomes the continuing peaceful rise of China,” the White House states. “The comments you are writing about do not reflect mainstream views of China in the United States.”
