Tuesday night, ace singer-songwriter Margo Price made her return to late-night TV, bringing her kickass touring band to Jimmy Kimmel Live! for a performance that’s noteworthy under any circumstances. Price and company are hitting the road following her new LP Hard Headed Woman, which dropped Aug. 29 via Loma Vista and features rocking country as a more prominent stylistic thread than her past couple of albums; props to guitar wizard Sean Thompson for some searing licks in the video.
Price and her band's performance of the boot-stomping, bird-flipping album opener “Don’t Let the Bastards Get You Down” is also notable and unintentionally appropriate for a much less exciting reason: It’s possible this was the final episode of the show. Word came Wednesday afternoon that after pressure from Nextstar and Sinclair — two conglomerates that own a large number of local TV affiliate stations — broadcaster ABC has pulled Kimmel indefinitely, starting with Wednesday’s show.
The rationale: During Monday’s show, Kimmel gave his critical analysis of conservative politicians’ reactions (including President Trump’s specifically) to the arrest of the suspect in the shooting of conservative figure Charlie Kirk on Sept. 10. To wit: “We had some new lows over the weekend with the MAGA gang desperately trying to characterize this kid who murdered Charlie Kirk as anything other than one of them and [doing] everything they can to score political points from it. In between the finger-pointing, there was grieving.”
Just last week, Price had something all too relevant to say during the Art & Activism panel (with Allison Russell and Tennessee state Rep. Justin Jones) at AmericanaFest in Nashville. Per our live-posting coverage by audience editor Annie Parnell: “We are at such a crucial time in the loss of our democracy," said Price. "You’ve gotta be able to speak truth to power.”
While developments regarding Jimmy Kimmel Live! are ongoing — including a warning from FCC chair Brendan Carr — Price’s tour brings her back home to Nashville to headline the Ryman on Nov. 20.
