Jimmy Kimmel’s Removal Proves America Is Now a "Full Oligarchy" | Pivot

Kara and Scott discuss ABC pulling “Jimmy Kimmel Live!” for a joke about the Charlie Kirk shooting, Trump filing a defamation suit against the New York Times, and Pam Bondi attempting to clean up her “hate speech” mess. Plus, FBI Director Kash Patel’s heated testimony before the House Judiciary Committee, Nvidia's $5 billion investment in Intel, and President Trump's fourth extension of the TikTok ban deadline. #pivot #podcast #karaswisher #scottgalloway #abc #jimmykimmel #pambondi #freespeech #kashpatel #fbi #nvidia #intel #tiktok Timestamps: 00:00 Intro 3:30 ABC Pulls Jimmy Kimmel Off Air 13:40 Pam Bondi on Hate Speech 34:17 FBI Director Kash Patel Faces Congress 38:57 Nvidia Invests $5B in Intel 44:12 Trump’s TikTok Deal 53:48 Predictions Producers: Lara Naaman Zoë Marcus Taylor Griffin Kate Gallagher Video Producer: Jim Mackil Vox Media's Executive Producer of Podcasts: Nishat Kurwa Subscribe to Pivot on Apple Podcasts: https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/pivot/id1073226719 Subscribe to Pivot on Spotify: https://open.spotify.com/show/4MU3RFGELZxPT9XHVwTNPR Follow us on Instagram and Threads at: https://www.instagram.com/pivotpodcastofficial Follow us on TikTok: https://www.tiktok.com/@PIVOTPODCAST Send us your questions by calling us at 855-51-PIVOT, or email pivot@voxmedia.com

Scott GallowayhostKara SwisherhostJimmy KimmelguestDonald TrumpguestPam BondiguestCommentator (hate speech / Kimmel segment)guestPresident Joe Bidenguest

Sep 19, 20251h 5mWatch on YouTube ↗

EPISODE INFO

Released: September 19, 2025
Duration: 1h 5m
Channel: Pivot
Watch on YouTube: ▶ Open ↗

EPISODE DESCRIPTION

Kara and Scott discuss ABC pulling “Jimmy Kimmel Live!” for a joke about the Charlie Kirk shooting, Trump filing a defamation suit against the New York Times, and Pam Bondi attempting to clean up her “hate speech” mess. Plus, FBI Director Kash Patel’s heated testimony before the House Judiciary Committee, Nvidia's $5 billion investment in Intel, and President Trump's fourth extension of the TikTok ban deadline. #pivot #podcast #karaswisher #scottgalloway #abc #jimmykimmel #pambondi #freespeech #kashpatel #fbi #nvidia #intel #tiktok Timestamps: 00:00 Intro 3:30 ABC Pulls Jimmy Kimmel Off Air 13:40 Pam Bondi on Hate Speech 34:17 FBI Director Kash Patel Faces Congress 38:57 Nvidia Invests $5B in Intel 44:12 Trump’s TikTok Deal 53:48 Predictions Producers: Lara Naaman Zoë Marcus Taylor Griffin Kate Gallagher Video Producer: Jim Mackil Vox Media's Executive Producer of Podcasts: Nishat Kurwa Subscribe to Pivot on Apple Podcasts: https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/pivot/id1073226719 Subscribe to Pivot on Spotify: https://open.spotify.com/show/4MU3RFGELZxPT9XHVwTNPR Follow us on Instagram and Threads at: https://www.instagram.com/pivotpodcastofficial Follow us on TikTok: https://www.tiktok.com/@PIVOTPODCAST Send us your questions by calling us at 855-51-PIVOT, or email pivot@voxmedia.com

SPEAKERS

Scott Galloway
host
Kara Swisher
host
Jimmy Kimmel
guest
Narrator
other
Donald Trump
guest
Pam Bondi
guest
Commentator (hate speech / Kimmel segment)
guest
President Joe Biden
guest

EPISODE SUMMARY

In this episode of Pivot, featuring Scott Galloway and Kara Swisher, Jimmy Kimmel’s Removal Proves America Is Now a "Full Oligarchy" | Pivot explores kimmel’s Firing Exposes Oligarchic Power, Media Capture, and Hypocrisy Kara Swisher and Scott Galloway dissect Jimmy Kimmel’s removal from ABC after a joke about Charlie Kirk’s killing, framing it as a watershed moment of oligarchic control over American media and free speech. They argue that Disney’s Bob Iger capitulated to pressure from Trump-aligned FCC commissioner Brendan Carr and conservative broadcast owners Sinclair and Nexstar, normalizing overt government intimidation of critical voices. The conversation broadens into concerns about rising authoritarianism, selective “cancel culture” outrage on the right, threats to independent media, and the hollowing out of legacy TV as audiences shift to streaming and podcasts. They also touch on Kash Patel’s combative congressional testimony, Nvidia’s stake in Intel, Trump’s TikTok carve‑up for allies, and the need for economic and electoral pushback rather than passive outrage.

RELATED EPISODES