On September 17th, ABC/Disney announced it was indefinitely suspending the late-night TV show host Jimmy Kimmel, supposedly in response to comments in his monologue regarding the murder of Charlie Kirk. However, the events preceding the suspension lay bare the authoritarian bullying and censorship at play.
Federal Communications Commission (FCC) Chair Brendan Carr, in an appearance on right-wing influencer Benny Johnson’s podcast, threatened to revoke the licenses of any station that aired Jimmy Kimmel Live!. Hours later, one of the largest ABC affiliate conglomerates, Nexstar Media Group, announced its local stations were pulling Kimmel’s show off the air. Sinclair Broadcast Group, the largest ABC affiliate group, announced similar action.
This appears blatantly unconstitutional—as FCC Commissioner Anna Gomez has explicitly acknowledged.
Congress must exercise its oversight authority by launching immediate investigations. Tell your Member of Congress to haul in Brendan Carr, and executives from Disney and ABC’s affiliates to testify under oath about this corrupt crackdown on dissent.
Dear Representative,
Disney and ABC suspended Jimmy Kimmel Live! right after FCC Chair Brendan Carr threatened stations, and affiliates Nexstar and Sinclair immediately pulled the show from the air. Both companies have business before the FCC, making this look like a coordinated effort to suppress free speech.
FCC Commissioner Anna Gomez has already said Carr’s move likely violates the First Amendment and the Communications Act. I urge you to demand a subpoena for Carr and the CEOs of Disney, Nexstar, and Sinclair to get to the bottom of their attempt to trample our First Amendment.
Sincerely,