{"id":38297,"date":"2025-09-18T15:40:26","date_gmt":"2025-09-18T15:40:26","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/publicknowledge.org\/?p=38297"},"modified":"2025-11-22T21:15:29","modified_gmt":"2025-11-22T21:15:29","slug":"public-knowledge-condemns-censorship-of-jimmy-kimmel","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/publicknowledge.org\/public-knowledge-condemns-censorship-of-jimmy-kimmel\/","title":{"rendered":"Public Knowledge Condemns Censorship of Jimmy Kimmel"},"content":{"rendered":"\n

Yesterday, ABC abruptly pulled<\/a> \u201cJimmy Kimmel Live\u201d off the air, following backlash from conservatives in response to Kimmel\u2019s statements about the reaction to the killing of right-wing activist and media personality Charlie Kirk. ABC\u2019s decision came shortly after one of its affiliate local broadcasting groups, Nexstar, announced that it would pull the show<\/a> from its stations indefinitely following Kimmel\u2019s remarks. Nexstar is the largest owner<\/a> of broadcast stations in the United States, with an audience reach of 220 million people. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

ABC\u2019s decision also comes after Federal Communications Commission Chairman Brendan Carr, as a guest on right-wing influencer Benny Johnson\u2019s podcast, criticized Kimmel\u2019s comments. Carr indicated the regulatory agency could take action against ABC for Kimmel\u2019s remarks, applauded Nexstar’s action, and encouraged other licensed broadcasters not to \u201crun Kimmel anymore.\u201d Taken together, it is clear that Chairman Carr\u2019s comments pressured ABC to silence Jimmy Kimmel for the content of his speech, or else face regulatory scrutiny \u2013 a blatant instance of censorship. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Notably, Nexstar has a proposed $6.2 billion merger with competing broadcast chain Tegna, the second largest<\/a> broadcast group owner. The transfer must be approved by the Federal Communications Commission, and because the proposal exceeds both the existing national ownership cap and the local market limits, approval will require either that the FCC waive existing rules or change them<\/a> to accommodate the merger. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

President Donald Trump has made no secret of his disdain for Jimmy Kimmel and his late-night talk show peers. Following the news<\/a> of CBS\u2019s cancellation of The Late Show with Stephen Colbert<\/a> after settling the meritless lawsuit by Donald Trump, the President wrote on his social media platform<\/a> Truth Social, \u201cI absolutely love that Colbert\u2019 got fired […] I hear Jimmy Kimmel is next.\u201d As Public Knowledge has documented<\/a>, Chairman Carr has made it no secret that he will not hesitate to use his regulatory heft to make media entities under the FCC\u2019s umbrella fall in line with Trump\u2019s agenda. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

The following can be attributed to Morgan Wilsmann, Policy Analyst at Public Knowledge:<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cThe decision to take Jimmy Kimmel off the air after he made remarks that powerful figures in Trump\u2019s administration found offensive is alarming. When a federal regulator signals that broadcast licenses (or a pending regulatory transaction) might be at risk if a network does not silence<\/em> a political critic, there is no word for it besides “censorship.” It is all the more troubling that President Trump and said regulator, Chairman Carr, are both celebrating the censorship of a late-night comedian. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cThe deep irony here is that Brendan Carr has asserted<\/a> that \u201cfree speech is not a threat to democracy \u2013 censorship is. The people who argue otherwise are simply trying to maintain their control over the political narrative.\u201d Now that he wields the ‘government control’ and can shape the ‘political narrative,’ Carr himself seems to forget his own words about censorship as a threat to democracy. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cThe FCC undoubtedly plays a crucial role in ensuring that broadcasters serve the public interest. But it may not dictate editorial content or news coverage, and above all, it cannot pressure companies into silencing critics of the government. There is no world where government sway in broadcast programming is anything but a threat to the First Amendment. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cWhether or not one agrees with Jimmy Kimmel\u2019s comments, Americans should have access to independent media that can criticize those in power without fear of government interference or retaliation. Free expression cannot depend on whether the government finds a joke or a critique palatable.\u201d<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

Yesterday, ABC abruptly pulled \u201cJimmy Kimmel Live\u201d off the air, following backlash from conservatives in response to Kimmel\u2019s statements about the reaction to the killing of right-wing activist and media personality Charlie Kirk. ABC\u2019s decision came shortly after one of its affiliate local broadcasting groups, Nexstar, announced that it would pull the show from its […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":211,"featured_media":0,"parent":0,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_acf_changed":false,"footnotes":""},"categories":[8],"tags":[10,31,14],"class_list":["post-38297","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-press-release","tag-cable-and-tv","tag-free-expression","tag-platform-regulation"],"acf":[],"yoast_head":"\nPublic Knowledge Condemns Censorship of Jimmy Kimmel - Public Knowledge<\/title>\n<meta name=\"description\" content=\"Public Knowledge promotes freedom of expression, an open internet, and access to affordable communications tools and creative works. 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