WASHINGTON (AP) — ABC took comedian Jimmy Kimmel’s late-night exhibit the air indefinitely Wednesday, simply hours after Federal Communications Fee chairman Brendan Carr referred to as his feedback about Charlie Kirk’s assassination “truly sick.”
Carr is a longtime FCC commissioner named as chairman by President Donald Trump in November. Within the months since, he has launched investigations of ABC, CBS and NBC information.
“Americans no longer trust the legacy national news media to report fully, accurately, and fairly. It is time for a change,” Carr stated in July, after the FCC accepted CBS proprietor Paramount’s $8 billion merger with Skydance.
This is what to learn about Carr:
Carr is a longtime FCC commissioner
The FCC regulates broadcasting, telecommunications and broadband.
Carr was already a longtime member of the fee and served beforehand because the FCC’s normal counsel. He was unanimously confirmed by the Senate thrice and each Trump and President Joe Biden nominated him to the fee.
Earlier than becoming a member of the fee as a employees member in 2012, he labored as an legal professional at Wiley Rein LLP and clerked on the U.S. Court docket of Appeals for the Fourth Circuit.
He has extra lately embraced Trump’s concepts about social media and tech. He wrote a piece dedicated to the FCC in “ Project 2025,” a sweeping blueprint for gutting the federal workforce and dismantling federal companies in a second Trump administration produced by the conservative Heritage Basis. Trump has claimed he didn’t know something about Undertaking 2025, however a lot of its themes have aligned together with his statements.
The FCC takes on broadcast networks
In March, Carr stated he was opening an investigation into Walt Disney Co. and ABC to see whether or not they’re “promoting invidious forms of DEI discrimination.” He additionally opened separate investigations into CBS and NBC information.
Speaking concerning the Kimmel state of affairs on Fox Information Wednesday, he stated broadcasters with FCC licenses have “a unique obligation to operate in the public interest. And over the years, the FCC walked away from enforcing that public interest obligation. I don’t think we’re better off as a country for it.”
In July, he hailed the Paramount-Skydance merger as a possibility to carry extra steadiness to “once-storied” CBS.
FCC approval of the merger got here after months of turmoil round Trump’s authorized battle with the CBS program “60 Minutes.” With the specter of the Trump administration probably blocking the deal, Paramount agreed to a $16 million settlement with the president.
CBS then introduced it was canceling Stephen Colbert’s “Late Show” simply days after the comic sharply criticized the settlement on air. Paramount cited monetary causes, however massive names each inside and out of doors the corporate have questioned these motives.
Shortly earlier than the FCC accepted the merger, Paramount agreed to rent an ombudsman at CBS Information to analyze complaints of political bias. The job went to Kenneth Weinstein, the previous head of a conservative suppose tank who has made a number of donations to Republican causes, together with President Donald Trump’s 2024 marketing campaign.
Carr takes on Kimmel
On Wednesday, Carr stated Kimmel gave the impression to be making an intentional effort to mislead the general public that conservative activist Kirk’s murderer was a right-wing Trump supporter. He referred to as Kimmel’s feedback about Kirk’s demise “truly sick” and stated his company has a powerful case for holding Kimmel, ABC and Disney accountable for spreading misinformation.
Kirk, a prime conservative podcaster, was shot and killed final week at an look on a school campus in Utah.
Kimmel made a number of remarks concerning the response to Kirk’s demise final week on “Jimmy Kimmel Live,” including that “many in MAGA land are working very hard to capitalize on the murder of Charlie Kirk.”
“This is a very, very serious issue right now for Disney,” Carr stated on the Benny Johnson podcast. “We can do this the easy way or the hard way. These companies can find ways to take action on Kimmel or there is going to be additional work for the FCC ahead.”
Home Democratic leaders on Thursday referred to as for Carr’s resignation and accused him of “bullying” ABC into suspending Kimmel.
In a joint assertion, the leaders — together with Home Minority Chief Hakeem Jeffries — stated the transfer was a part of Trump and Republicans’ effort to wage a “war on the First Amendment.”
