Dave Portnoy Stirs Up Controversy With His Take On Jimmy Kimmel Cancellation

Barstool Sports founder Dave Portnoy has sparked a heated debate after weighing in on Jimmy Kimmel’s sudden cancellation. Following ABC’s decision to pull “Jimmy Kimmel Live!” after the late-night host’s controversial remarks about Charlie Kirk’s assassination, Portnoy took to X (formerly Twitter) to argue that Kimmel’s firing doesn’t actually qualify as “cancel culture.” His comments quickly went viral, drawing backlash, support, and plenty of fiery debate over where the line between cancel culture, free speech, and consequences really lies.

In his post, Portnoy argued that Jimmy Kimmel’s firing doesn’t actually qualify as cancel culture:

“With Kimmel getting canned I’m seeing lots of people talking about the hypocrisy of cancel culture. To me, cancel culture is when people go out of their way to dig up old tweets, videos, etc. looking for dirt on somebody they don’t like in an effort to get them fired. Like if Kimmel got canceled for sh-t he did on ‘The Man Show,’ that would be cancel culture. But when a person says something that a ton of people find offensive, rude, dumb in real time and then that person is punished for it, that’s not cancel culture. That is consequences for your actions.”

Portnoy’s stance immediately divided social media, with some praising his distinction and others shredding it as splitting hairs.

One viral response mocked Portnoy’s logic, writing, “So let me get this straight. If the mob punishes you for old tweets, that’s cancel culture. But if the mob punishes you in real time, that’s justice. Ah yes. Very legal. Very cool. Mob rule with a time stamp.”

Another user accused Portnoy of “reinventing pitchfork morality,” saying, “You think this isn’t cancel culture because the outrage came fast. But a flash mob with WiFi is still a witch trial. What you’re defending is digital execution with fresher timestamps.”

Others piled on with accusations that Portnoy was normalizing “algorithmic morality,” the idea that public outrage online now serves as judge, jury, and executioner.

Not everyone disagreed. Some defended Jimmy Kimmel, insisting comedians shouldn’t face cancellations over controversial material at all, regardless of timing.

“Disagree,” one user wrote. “Going back through old posts is part of cancel culture, and there should be a statute of limitations on all this fake outrage for old content, we agree there, but comedians shouldn’t get canceled for real-time jokes either. Even bad ones. Even inaccurate ones. Even dumb or offensive ones. Mock them, ridicule them, don’t watch their show, and pour more speech out reacting to them. But no one in creative spaces should be in favor of cancel culture from any angle.”

For others, the issue wasn’t about timing at all, but about who pressured ABC to act. Many highlighted FCC Chair Brendan Carr’s comments suggesting Disney could lose licenses if it didn’t punish Jimmy Kimmel.

“You’re right. This isn’t cancel culture. It is much, much worse. It is the government threatening retaliation unless ABC gets rid of Kimmel. This is a direct violation of Freedom of Speech,” one person argued.

Another added, “It doesn’t matter what you call it. It matters that it was canceled because of government pressure, which came through the FCC — that’s a problem.”

After mounting backlash, ABC announced Wednesday that “Jimmy Kimmel Live!” would be “preempted indefinitely.” The decision followed Nexstar’s move to drop the show across its 28 ABC affiliates, a signal that station pressure was intensifying. Insiders also revealed that at least one other major affiliate group had voiced objections, raising the possibility that a broader revolt among local stations helped push the network to act. The result was one of the most dramatic shake-ups late-night television has seen in years.

According to a source who spoke with The Hollywood Reporter, Kimmel had been prepared to address the controversy on Wednesday night’s broadcast. He reportedly planned to walk viewers through his remarks and explain how they had been taken out of context. The source added that Kimmel had no intention of apologizing, as he believed his comments did not warrant one.

Whether framed as cancel culture, consequences, or government interference, Kimmel’s ouster has become a talking point, and it will likely ripple through Hollywood, media, and the broader debate over free speech in America.