commentary
What happened to the FCC chairman is happening to America
Published
September 19, 2025 6:30AM (EDT)
FCC Chairman Brendan Carr testifies before the House Appropriations Subcommittee on Financial Services and General Government on May 21, 2025. (John McDonnell/Getty Images))
The tragic assassination of Charlie Kirk is still reverberating across America. On Sept. 17, Jimmy Kimmel, the host of ABC’s late-night talk show, became the latest casualty in our post-Kirk world.
The network announced it was suspending Kimmel indefinitely because of his Sept. 15 monologue. “The MAGA gang,” he observed, “[is] 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.”
He continued, referring to President Donald Trump casting blame on left-wing groups for Kirk’s death. “This is not how an adult grieves the murder of someone he calls a friend. This is how a four-year-old mourns a goldfish.”
Was what Kimmel said tasteless? Perhaps. But speech that is tasteless has always been protected by the First Amendment.
You would never know that from the reactions of the Trump administration to Kimmel’s monologue. “Great News for America: The ratings challenged Jimmy Kimmel Show is CANCELLED,” the president crowed on Truth Social. “Congratulations to ABC for finally having the courage to do what had to be done. Kimmel has ZERO talent, and worse ratings than even Colbert, if that’s possible.”
Referring to NBC’s late-night hosts, Jimmy Fallon and Seth Meyers, Trump added, “That leaves Jimmy and Seth, two total losers, on Fake News NBC. Their ratings are also horrible. Do it NBC!!! President DJT.”
As disturbing as Trump’s reaction was, what Federal Communications Chairman Brendan Carr said before ABC announced Kimmel’s suspension was even worse, and underscored the administration’s convoluted view of free speech.
As disturbing as Trump’s reaction was, what Federal Communications Chairman Brendan Carr said before ABC announced Kimmel’s suspension was even worse, and underscored the administration’s convoluted view of free speech. The late-night host’s comments, Carr said, were “the sickest conduct possible.”
Carr didn’t stop there, nor did he honor America’s free speech tradition, which says that we should respond to speech we find offensive with more speech. Instead he threatened to deploy the power of the federal government against Disney, ABC’s parent company, if it didn’t do something about Kimmel.
“This,” Carr suggested, “is a very, very serious issue right now for Disney.” Then, in a truly chilling remark, he added, “We can do this the easy way or the hard way.”
“These companies,” he continued, “can find ways to take action on Kimmel or there is going to be additional work for the FCC ahead. They have a license granted by us at the FCC, and that comes with it an obligation to operate in the public interest.”