Jimmy Kimmel Live! returned to airtime Sept. 23 after a short-lived suspension following threatening statements from Federal Communications Commission Chair, Brendan Carr. Despite its quick resolution, the suspension has caused bi-partisan concern about First Amendment rights and the presence of censorship in the United States.
The rift between FCC Commissioner Carr and Kimmel stems from Kimmel’s monologue following the assassination of Turning Point USA founder, Charlie Kirk. Carr, whom President Trump referred to as “a warrior for free speech,” did not take legal action against Kimmel, but made what some have perceived to be ominous comments towards Jimmy Kimmel Live! owner, ABC, and its parent company, Disney.
“This is a very, very serious issue right now for Disney,” Carr said on a YouTube show. “We can do this the easy way or the hard way. These companies [broadcasting networks with affiliation to ABC] can find ways to change conduct and take action, frankly, on Kimmel, or there’s going to be additional work for the F.C.C. ahead.”
Followers of the MAGA movement expressed outrage about how Kimmel addressed Kirk’s death in his monologue. Most of the indignation is due to Kimmel making a comment suggesting that the perpetrator of the shooting was a Republican Trump supporter, a perception which was being perpetuated by social media.
“We hit 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,” Kimmel said in his monologue.
President Trump said to reporters aboard Airforce One that “97%” of publicity surrounding him is negative. In recent months, Trump has made many complaints over how often the media is negative towards both him and United State’s history, specifically events like slavery.
“They give me only bad publicity or press,” Trump said. “They’re getting a license, I think maybe their license should be taken away. It’s up to Brendan Carr.”
Trump’s reference towards Carr is notable, as, historically, the FCC revoking a license from a network due to content is extremely rare. Revoking a license over content issues is often referred to as a station’s compliance with serving the public interest. To date, the only readily available instance of a network’s license being stripped due to content was a pro-segregation channel located in Jackson, Mississippi, in 1969.
Within hours of Carr’s statement towards ABC and their affiliates, Nexstar Media, the network responsible for broadcasting Kimmel’s show, pulled Jimmy Kimmel Live! from the air “for the foreseeable future.” Notably, Nexstar is currently waiting on FCC approval for a $6.2 billion merger with another television company, Tegna.
Carr’s statements are being interpreted by Democrats as a threat towards Nexstar’s approval for the merger, which would be a violation of the constitution. However, Republicans believe that Kimmel’s comments towards Kirk were a spread of misinformation, and that the suspension was warranted.
“Those privileges [of receiving money from tax payers] come with a responsibility to not knowingly spread harmful lies like the one Kimmel was spreading,” Turning Point USA spokesman Andrew Kolvet said to Fox News. “Jimmy Kimmel is not a victim. He’s a liar. Jimmy Kimmel is not a martyr. Charlie is. Let’s keep that straight.”
However, some members of the Republican Party are defiantly against the FCC’s actions, notably the historically pro-Trump Texas senator, Ted Cruz.
“If the government gets in the business of saying… ‘We’re going to ban you from the airwaves if you don’t say what we like,’ that will end up bad for conservatives,” Cruz said on his podcast.
While the First Amendment protects the rights to Freedom of Speech and Freedom of Press, concerns have been expressed across party-lines about how strongly this is being enforced. The question remains as to whether the Trump administration is simply expressing discontent over the state of media relations or whether censorship is on the rise in America.
“This show is not important,” Kimmel said in his first opening monologue after his suspension. “What’s important is that we get to live in a country that allows us to have a show like this.”