How Outrage at Kimmel Grew to a Shout From a Whisper

The conservative outrage over the late night host Jimmy Kimmel became apoplectic on Wednesday after Brendan Carr, the Federal Communications Commission chairman, went on a podcast and suggested the regulatory body could use its powers against the network that airs the show.

But the outrage had started to grow online more than 24 hours earlier — first as a whisper, then eventually as a shout, as social media users, influencers and right-wing news outlets began sharing Mr. Kimmel’s monologue, according to an analysis by The New York Times of thousands of posts on social media and mentions on radio, television and podcasts.

It began with a muted reaction on X on Tuesday morning after one user, whose job involves monitoring late night shows for liberal bias, posted a clip of the monologue. Conservative influencers and radio hosts started to take notice throughout the day, and Fox News hosts turned their attention to the clip by the evening.

Then, hours before Mr. Carr’s podcast taping on Wednesday, Elon Musk, the most-followed user on X and the site’s owner, posted that Mr. Kimmel was “disgusting” for the jokes.

The accelerating furor reflects how online outrage does not always emerge organically, but is often the result of a small number of prominent voices redirecting their audience’s attention.

“Outrage is fomented by influential figures in both media and politics, for whom outrage is a communication strategy,” said Anthony Kelly, a member of University College Dublin’s Centre for Digital Policy, who has studied how partisan online outrage spreads. “Lead figures or media outlets wouldn’t be solely responsible. You also have, increasingly, the role of platforms, so outrage is being driven by algorithms.”