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. The events preceding the suspension lay bare the authoritarian bullying and censorship at play. Thanks to our grassroots pressure, Disney announced it will bring back Jimmy Kimmel Live!. While that’s great news and a testament to our collective power, the fight doesn’t end here.
Federal Communications Commission (FCC) Chair Brendan Carr initially enabled the administration's attempt to silence dissent by threatening 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. Neither affiliate has yet to reverse course. They, along with Carr, need to be held accountable.
Congress must exercise its oversight authority by launching immediate investigations. Tell your Member of Congress to haul in Brendan Carr and executives from 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.
While Disney has announced it will reinstate Jimmy Kimmel Live!, Carr’s actions still risk violating both the First Amendment and the Communications Act. I urge you to demand a subpoena for Carr and the CEOs of Nexstar and Sinclair to get to the bottom of their attempt to trample our First Amendment.
Sincerely,