444 events on record Subscribe June 26, 2026
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FCC Chair Carr threatened ABC license action over Kimmel's Charlie Kirk comments; ABC indefinitely suspended Kimmel

On September 17, 2025, FCC Chairman Brendan Carr publicly threatened ABC affiliates with regulatory consequences if they did not act against late-night host Jimmy Kimmel over Kimmel's recent comments about Charlie Kirk. Within hours, Nexstar and Sinclair Broadcast Group — both with transactions pending FCC approval — announced they would preempt Kimmel's show, and ABC suspended Jimmy Kimmel Live! indefinitely that same day. Former FCC senior official Gigi Sohn called it "the most blatant" use of the FCC's bully pulpit to intimidate a major network in the history of the agency.

Jurisdiction
federal
Location
Washington, D.C.

Abuses documented

Actors

On September 17, 2025, FCC Chairman Brendan Carr appeared on the Benny Johnson podcast and publicly threatened ABC and its affiliated broadcasters with regulatory consequences if they did not take punitive action against late-night host Jimmy Kimmel. Carr stated "we can do this the easy way or the hard way. These companies can find ways to change conduct to take action on Kimmel or, you know, there's going to be additional work for the FCC ahead," citing Kimmel's comments about conservative commentator Charlie Kirk. Within hours, Nexstar Media Group and Sinclair Broadcast Group — two of the largest ABC affiliate operators, both with significant transactions pending FCC and antitrust approval — announced they would preempt Kimmel's show indefinitely. ABC and its corporate parent Disney followed, suspending Jimmy Kimmel Live! indefinitely on the same day.

The threat exploited a structural vulnerability in broadcast journalism: unlike digital media, over-the-air broadcasters must hold federal licenses periodically reviewed by the FCC. Nexstar and Sinclair's swift capitulation reflected rational self-preservation — both had deals before the agency where Carr held decisive influence. Carr did not issue a formal order, file a complaint, or initiate a proceeding; the threat alone was sufficient to produce the outcome. The ACLU called it "a grave threat to our First Amendment freedoms." Gigi Sohn, a former senior FCC official and Biden FCC nominee, said it was "the most blatant" case she had seen: "using the bully pulpit to essentially intimidate a major network into canceling one of its hours — there's nothing that comes close in the history of the Federal Communications Commission."

Kimmel's show was reinstated September 23 after sustained public backlash and criticism from First Amendment scholars. Constitutional law experts identified the episode as a textbook case of government "jawboning" — the coercive use of official power to suppress speech through informal pressure rather than lawful orders — which the Supreme Court has recognized as a First Amendment violation when it is sufficiently coercive.

Why we recorded this

The FCC's authority over broadcast licenses gives its chair unusual leverage over journalism: a threat to complicate license renewals — even without any formal action — is enough to make large broadcasters self-censor rather than risk their core operating authority. When a federal official conditions regulatory forbearance on a network taking punitive action against a critic of the administration, the government has effectively suppressed political speech without issuing a lawful order. The First Amendment prohibits this coercive informal censorship as much as direct formal orders.

Sources

  1. ABC yanks Jimmy Kimmel's show 'indefinitely' after threat from Trump's FCC chair Brendan Carr — CNN Business primary accessed June 22, 2026
  2. Jimmy Kimmel's suspension shows power of FCC's Brendan Carr — NPR secondary accessed June 22, 2026
  3. Carr's threats to ABC are jawboning any way you slice it — FIRE (Foundation for Individual Rights and Expression) secondary accessed June 22, 2026
  4. How Brendan Carr, the attack-dog FCC chair, helped take down Jimmy Kimmel with words, not actions — CNN Business secondary accessed June 22, 2026

See also