Jimmy Kimmel speaks after editing the Uvalade shooting monologue in Texas

On Tuesday, another horrific school shooting left families in mourning, traumatizing survivors, and killing 21 – including 19 elementary school students.

Much needs to be said about this tragedy, from the on-the-spot failure of law enforcement to the systematic failure of politicians.

Late Night host Jimmy Kimmel opened the Wednesday night episode Jimmy Kimmel Live With a tearful monologue and a call to action.

The nearly 9-minute segment was suspiciously edited when it aired in Texas, raising questions from fans.

Jimmy Kimmel speaks to the camera without his studio audience during the opening of the May 25 episode.

He called on Senators Ted Cruz and John Cornin and Governor Greg Abbott, all of whom have worked to weaken gun laws and ensure that the genocide continues.

“Again,” Kimmel lamented, “we mourn for those little boys and girls whose lives have been lost and whose families have been destroyed.”

“While our leaders are on the right, Americans in Congress and in Fox News and these other outlets are warning us not to politicize it,” Kimmel noted.

He continued: “They immediately criticized our president for even talking about doing something to stop it.”

Kimmel explains: “Because they don’t want to talk about it because they know what they did and they know what they didn’t do.”

“And they know it’s irresistible,” Kimmel admits, “so they’d rather sweep it under the floor.”

“Our cowardly leaders are not listening to us,” he noted.

“They’re listening to the NRA,” Kimmel admits.

It wasn’t a perfect monologue – at one point it suggested that Ted Cruz was “not a monster” and it also suggested that the problem could involve mental health.

(The primary role of mental health in gun-related suicides; personally or ideologically a mass shooter is bad, not mental illness)

But it doesn’t have to be perfect to be a good segment. When we include a short clip, you can see Jimmy Kimmel’s complete single word here.

The episode airs throughout the United States.

However, those watching the ABC Affiliate Channel, WFAA / Channel 8 in Dallas / Forth Worth, have seen a shorter version.

In the age of social media, it is very quickly visible when two friends or family members watching the same show watch different versions.

People brought it to Kimmel’s notice, intelligently asking why it happened – in Texas, everywhere.

He did not accuse anyone of censorship – not in words, however.

But the editing of the segment was at least questionable, and Kimmel could not properly ignore it.

“My friends in Dallas who are asking,” Kimmel tweeted.

“I don’t know if our @ABCNetwork affiliate @wfaa intentionally or unintentionally moved away from my monologue tonight,” he admitted.

“But I’ll find out,” Kimmel vowed, sharing a link to the full video. “In the meantime, here’s what you didn’t see.”

Pete Friedman, WFAA’s director of digital content, responded to a public tweet.

“We decided to include * extra * Uvalade coverage in our broadcasts before the day we extended our 10 o’clock news,” he wrote.

“It had nothing to do with your psychology,” Friedman claims. “We’re on the same team.”

There are some colorful comments in Friedman’s social media history that may complicate the story, but report backs on his claims.

Apparently, the 10pm newscast was long, and the bizarre cuts from the commercial spread to other sections, including an interview with Seth McFarlane.

Looks like the network is just saying they did a bad job of editing and decision making. Is that a satisfactory answer? Maybe not, but that’s the answer that they offer.

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