“Jimmy Kimmel Live!” The air that caused a strong reaction was pulled away.
Protesters gathered outside the El Pitan Entertainment Centre after ABC pulled “Jimmy Kimmel Live!” It will air beyond his Charlie Kirk comments.
Federal Communications Commission Head Brendan Kerr appeared on a conservative commentator’s podcast from the air late Wednesday, September 17th, hours before ABC confirmed he was pulling “Jimmy Kimmel Live!”
In a 13-minute interview, Kerr denounced Kimmel’s comments about Charlie Kirk a few days ago. He also appeared to threaten ABC and its owner Disney for one of the comedian’s recent monologues.
“This is a very serious problem for Disney right now. Can we do this in an easy way?”
“We’re here to see some changes, but the individual license stations getting content is when they step up and say this, that’s not what I think trash cans will serve our community needs to the extent that they’re going down the pipe in the future,” he said.
The Nexstar Media Group said it was pulling the show from 32 ABC affiliates later that day, citing Kimmel’s comments about Kirk. Shortly after Nexstar announced its decision, ABC held an FCC-approved license from its own local broadcasting affiliate, but Kimmel said it would be pulled out of the sky.
As of early Thursday, September 17th, the hosts had not been fired and “Jimmy Kimmel Live!” had not been cancelled. Instead, the talk show will be “indefinitely ahead of time,” an ABC spokesperson said in a statement to USA Today on September 17th.
Kimmel’s claim on September 15th shows that “Magagangs” are “doing everything they can to score political points” from Kirk’s assassination. He also criticized Trump’s mourning, comparing it to “the way a four-year-old child laments goldfish.”
Who is the FCC Chair Brendanker?
Carr heads the FCC, a regulatory body that oversees many of the country’s radio, television, wire, satellite and cable. The committee, overseen by Congress, is responsible for issuing licenses to radio and television stations for broadcasting via public radio waves.
Before Trump served as chairman of the committee, Kerr was previously a senior Republican at the FCC and his general advisor. He also works as an attorney, and is written in the US Court of Appeals in Judge Dennis Shedd’s 4th Circuit. He received his law degree from the American Catholic University, Columbus School of Law.
Carr is one of the authors of Project 2025, a 900-page “Presidential Transition Project” released by the Heritage Foundation, advocating for conservative policy. An hour after being appointed FCC chair by Trump in 2024, Carr said in X that he “must dismantle the censored cartel and restore the rights of everyday Americans to free speech.”
Carr doubles comments
Since the announcement that Kimmel’s show is being pulled, Kerr has attracted widespread criticism from leading Democrats calling for him to resign.
Meanwhile, Carr doubled his comments in media appearances and praised Nexstar for his decision to pull a popular late-night show. He told Fox News, “It’s important for broadcasters to decide that pushing back Disney programming is not worth the community.”
Kerr also denounced the late-night show for holding “a very narrow political ideology” rather than “being a court jester that teases everyone in power.” He said it was time for the broadcasters and the FCC to fulfill their “unique duty” to work in the public interest.
In an interview on CNBC on Thursday, September 18th, Carr was asked if he played a role in ABC’s decisions other than public comments.
“There’s a bigger shakeup that’s ongoing now,” Kerr said in response.
“Since President Trump won the election, it created a permit structure for the market, including a streamlined media market,” he said. “Late night TV ratings have made them absolute nosy for years, but for some reason, these companies felt they had to continue subsidizing it.
Democrat leaders demand Kerr resign
Congressional Democratic leaders denounced the chairman in a September 18 statement, demanding that they immediately resign, saying what they say is “abuse of corrupt power.”
“He shamed the office he has for bullying Jimmy Kimmel’s employer ABC and forcing the company to bend his knees to the Trump administration,” the statement accused Republicans and the Trump administration of pursuing “war” in the First Amendment.
The statement was signed by Democratic leaders, Rep. Hakeem Jeffries and party leaders, Pete Aguilar, Ted Lieu, Katherine Clark and Joe Neguse. Susan Delbene, chairman of the Democratic Congressional Campaign Committee, also signed the matter.
The American Federation of Musicians condemned the move in a September 17 statement.
“Trump’s FCC has identified a speech that the ABC didn’t like and threatened with extreme retaliation,” the union said. “This is state censorship.”
contribution:
Kathryn Palmer is a national trending news reporter for USA Today. You can contact her kapalmer@usatoday.com And with x @Kathrynplmr.
