FCC Chairman Brendan Carr Backpedals on Jimmy Kimmel Suspension Amid Free Speech Firestorm
Federal Communications Commission (FCC) Chairman Brendan Carr is facing a storm of criticism and accusations of government censorship following the abrupt suspension of ABC’s “Jimmy Kimmel Live!”. After initially celebrating the move, which came just hours after he suggested regulatory action against the host, Carr is now attempting to distance himself from the decision, framing it as a private business matter.
The reversal comes amid a “white-hot” political backlash, with prominent Democrats calling the event a direct assault on the First Amendment. Complicating Carr’s narrative is President Donald Trump, who has publicly celebrated the suspension and openly called for other networks to fire Kimmel’s late-night rivals.
The Threat and the Swift Suspension
The controversy exploded on Wednesday when Carr, appearing on a podcast, floated the idea of the FCC taking retaliatory action against Jimmy Kimmel for his commentary on the Charlie Kirk shooting. The results were astonishingly fast. By that evening, Disney, ABC’s parent company, had suspended Kimmel’s show indefinitely.
Carr’s supporters immediately declared victory. Podcast host Benny Johnson took to X (formerly Twitter) to claim credit, writing, “What can’t be ignored are your paying customers organizing against you and FCC investigations.”
The “Market Correction” Pivot: Carr’s New Narrative
However, as criticism mounted, Carr’s tone shifted dramatically. In a subsequent interview on Thursday, he backpedaled from his earlier position, arguing that he played no active role in Kimmel’s suspension. Instead, he attributed the decision to pressure from local affiliate stations.
“It was the local TV stations that said, ‘I’ve got to look out for the needs of my local community. I don’t want to run this Kimmel stuff,’” Carr insisted, labeling the suspension a “market correction” rather than a consequence of government pressure. This new stance is in stark contrast to his past arguments during the Biden administration, where he explicitly stated that “the FCC does not have a roving mandate to police speech.”
“An Attack on Free Speech”: The Democratic Backlash
The reaction from Democrats and free speech advocates has been severe. MSNBC’s Chris Hayes called the situation “the most straightforward attack on free speech from state actors I’ve ever seen in my life and it’s not even close.”
The backlash reached a new level when Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer called for Carr’s immediate resignation. “He is one of the greatest threats to free speech America has ever seen,” Schumer wrote on social media.
Trump’s Unfiltered Take: “Do It NBC!!!”
While Carr attempts to reframe the narrative, President Trump has done the opposite, fully embracing the idea of pressuring media outlets. In a celebratory post on social media, Trump praised ABC for having “the courage to do what had to be done.”
He then immediately turned his attention to Kimmel’s competitors, writing, “That leaves Jimmy [Fallon] and Seth [Meyers], two total losers, on Fake News NBC. Their ratings are also horrible. Do it NBC!!!”
Trump’s explicit call for another network to fire critical hosts directly undermines Carr’s “market correction” argument, fueling accusations that the suspension of Jimmy Kimmel is a clear-cut case of government-coerced censorship of political speech. The escalating controversy has now become a national flashpoint in the debate over the First Amendment and the line between corporate accountability and state pressure.
