Federal Communications Commission Chair Brendan Carr warned Disney and ABC over Jimmy Kimmel’s on-air remarks, raising First Amendment questions. For years, Carr spoke out against government pressure on media and social platforms. His latest comments appear to conflict with that record.
Carr’s warning and swift fallout
On Wednesday, Carr said Disney and ABC could handle Kimmel “The easy or the hard way.” He suggested that if ABC did not act, the FCC could make future regulatory matters more difficult. “These companies can find ways to change conduct and take actions on Kimmel, or there’s going to be additional work for the FCC ahead,” he said on a conservative podcast.
Hours later, ABC’s “Jimmy Kimmel Live” was suspended indefinitely. According to CNN, Carr later framed the suspension as a market decision. The timing followed his public pressure on the network.
The FCC and Carr did not respond to CNN’s requests for comment.
Record of defending speech
Past statements contrast with current stance
Carr long warned that even subtle pressure, like letters or hearings, can chill speech. He called political satire “one of the oldest and most important forms of free speech.” He criticized efforts by both parties to lean on TV providers and social media, calling such moves “censorship.”
In 2021, he blasted Reps. Anna Eshoo and Jerry McNerney for letters to distributors about Fox News, Newsmax, and OANN. He said Democrats sent a clear message that “regulated entities will pay a price if the targeted newsrooms do not conform.” He called it a “chilling transgression of the free speech rights” of media outlets.
He also argued in 2020 that pushes to remove a manipulated video of Nancy Pelosi were a “brazen attempt” to silence political speech. He warned that bending to pressure would erode First Amendment principles.
Last year, the Supreme Court unanimously backed First Amendment protections in a case involving the National Rifle Association. Justice Sonia Sotomayor wrote that officials cannot try to coerce private parties to punish speech the government disfavors.
Carr was appointed to the FCC by Trump in 2017 and now serves as its Republican chairman. His social media posts from 2019 through 2025 describe free speech as the “bedrock of democracy.” He urged transparency when officials pressure platforms to remove protected speech and called for accountability for such “jawboning.”
According to CNN, Carr says viewers drove ABC’s decision. His remarks preceded the suspension and echo the pressure tactics he once warned against.
