OPINION
Premium

Jake Tapper Wants to Shield Jokes From Criticism...Unless He Is the One Dictating They Should Not Be Told

Brad Slager
Brad Slager  |  Apr 28, 2026
The opinions expressed by columnists are their own and do not necessarily represent the views of Townhall.com.

Get access to Brad Slager's "Riffed From the Headlines," a daily VIP feature where he looks to bring accountability to the mainstream media. Use promo code FIGHT to get 60% off your VIP membership!

Prose & Contradiction – CNN

  • Huh, it seems like only one side is allowed to express themselves…

Jake Tapper has stood up to become the custodian of humor. He has been particularly enraged that people in the administration have taken exception to Jimmy Kimmel’s comments – excuse us…JOKES – about President Trump dying. See, Jake is the arbiter of who is allowed to say what. So here he is, declaring it wrong for the First Lady to say that Kimmel should be fired for his comments.

To follow along:

- Kimmel suggesting the president will die = acceptable and allowed

- Melania Trump suggesting Kimmel be fired = unacceptable and not permitted

Man, that First Amendment sure has a fluid definition!

Pathological Media Amnesia – CNN

  • Speaking of fluid positions, Jake.

This is just too precious now.

So, to reiterate, Jake Tapper’s main position in all of this is that humor is protected under the First Amendment, and therefore, anyone calling for Jimmy Kimmel's removal for telling a joke is a severe threat to our democracy.

Maze Moore provides us with a delicious flashback to a time when Jake held the polar opposite position. Recall years ago when the CNN newsman wanted Aaron Rodgers removed from ESPN for telling a joke.

That the gag involved Jimmy Kimmel being on the Epstein list makes the irony only richer.

First Amendment Strike Force – CNN

  • A bit ironic on a week the president is accused of silencing voices.

Dana Bash, you have been Rupared!

Most people who are too much online (raises hand), are familiar with the clip-job hackery from online “journalist” (his self-applied label) Aaron Rupar. He has become legion for the way he will misrepresent a news item by editing video segments in a way that removes context and/or alters the presentation. This is normally done to boost his partisan approach to a story, whether or not the facts align with his bias.

Dana was not pleased with the way her segment on Sunday with Democrat Rep. Jamie Raskin (MD-8) had been presented by Aaron, an amusement given how closely aligned these two journalists are positioned.

Both Kinds of Standards – THE INDEPENDENTS

  • Maybe referring to it as a “punchline” is considered an act of violence?

There continues to be hysteria in the press circles over the administration taking offense to Jimmy Kimmel making his crass joke about Melania becoming a widow. This was delivered in Kimmel’s desperate need for attention in a segment where he gave a fake monologue at the WHCA Dinner to which he was not invited.

There is no shortage of journalists declaring that Kimmel should be off-limits for telling a joke, under free expression claims. The lectures are particularly pronounced at CNN, which brings us this delicious dose of ironic hypocrisy.

Among the outraged has been Mehdi Hasan. He is the same voice who expressed outrage over the Charlie Hebdo cartoon that led to violence. He is also the one who saw fit to have Ryan Girdusky removed from…CNN…after Ryan made a joke about Hasan having a beeper go off while in the studio.

Democratic Custodial Services – SPECTRUM NEWS

  • Any chance there is another non-environmental reason for his commuting?

Ah, it is also a pleasure to come across these sanitizing reports to aid one party. At Spectrum News, Cassie Semyon had a piece about Democrat Rep. Dave Min (CA-47) and his “passion” for riding scooters to the Capitol. We also hear about his desire to pass some legislation that is centered on small electric mobility devices, which are his passion, you see.

As it turned out, there is another less-than-selfless reason that Min is seen darting around The Hill on a scooter.

Pounce of Prevention – POLITICO

  • This feels inevitable.

Don’t expect the press to become introspective about possibly fueling the anger of the shooter from the WHCA Dinner. They are too busy reporting how the White House is seizing on the moment to blame them.