FCC's Brendan Carr Defends Comments On Kimmel.

Federal Communications Commission Chair Brendan Carr is pushing back against criticism that his recent remarks about ABC late-night host Jimmy Kimmel amounted to a government threat. Speaking at the Concordia Summit in New York on Monday, Carr insisted that his words were misconstrued and that Democrats and the media are distorting the FCC’s role in the controversy surrounding Kimmel’s temporary suspension.

“There’s a lot of Democrats out there that are engaged in a campaign of projection and distortion,” Carr said. “They’re completely misrepresenting the work of the FCC, and what we’ve been doing. Jimmy Kimmel is in a situation that he’s in because of his ratings, not because of anything that’s happened at the federal government level.”

Carr had come under fire after telling podcaster Benny Johnson earlier this month that broadcasters should “take action” or the FCC would have “more work to do,” adding, “We can do this the easy way or the hard way.” The comments were interpreted by critics as a direct warning to ABC about Kimmel’s show. Carr, however, dismissed that interpretation, insisting that ABC made a business decision unrelated to government pressure. “That’s not for me, ultimately, to judge,” Carr said. “That’s for the ratings and the audience to judge, and that’s what we’re seeing.”

The FCC chair’s defense came as ABC announced that Kimmel would return to the air Monday night. The network is reportedly pursuing a contract renewal with Kimmel, whose current deal runs through May 2026. That detail undermines Carr’s argument that ratings played a decisive role in the late-night host’s removal, since the network appears intent on extending its relationship with him.

The controversy has attracted scrutiny from Capitol Hill. Several House Democrats have called on the FCC’s Inspector General to investigate Carr’s comments and the agency’s interactions with broadcasters. Carr countered that narrative by stressing that no threats were made against ABC’s broadcast licenses. “That did not happen in any way, shape or form,” he said.

Yet criticism was not limited to Democrats. Prominent Republicans also expressed alarm. Senator Ted Cruz (R-TX) described Carr’s language as “right out of a mafioso playbook” and “dangerous as hell,” warning that conservatives could suffer once Democrats return to power. Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell (R-KY) echoed that sentiment, writing on social media, “My colleague, Ted Cruz, said it looked just like ‘Goodfellas.’ As a First Amendment guy, myself, I think he’s probably got it right. You don’t have to like what somebody says on TV to agree that the government shouldn’t be getting involved here.” Senator Rand Paul (R-KY) added to the criticism, calling Carr’s words “absolutely inappropriate” during an appearance on NBC’s “Meet the Press.”

Inside the FCC, Commissioner Anna Gomez also distanced herself from Carr, applauding Disney for finding its “courage” amid what she characterized as intimidation. “It will continue to be up to us as citizens to push back against this administration’s growing campaign of censorship and control,” Gomez said.

Outside groups are weighing in as well. Craig Aaron, co-CEO of the nonpartisan watchdog Free Press, said the Trump administration’s “war on free speech is no joke—and it’s not over.” He urged Congress to gather sworn testimony from Carr, executives at Disney/ABC, and major affiliate owners such as Sinclair and Nexstar. “We need to fully understand what pressure the government put on these media companies and what they were promised in exchange for cutting shows from their lineup and silencing network voices,” Aaron said.

Carr, meanwhile, used his time at the Concordia Summit to pivot to broader concerns about media consolidation. He argued that national programmers have gained too much influence over local television stations and said he wants to “re-empower those local TV stations” so they can better serve communities without “undue pressure” from corporate networks. “Things have gone way out of balance,” Carr said. “For years, they could say at least trust in media was above trust in Congress. Now they’ve dipped below trust in Congress.”

The immediate test may come from the affiliates. Nexstar said it is still weighing whether to end its suspension of Kimmel’s program, while Sinclair announced it would pre-empt Monday’s return with local news coverage. Commissioner Gomez suggested the episode will influence how media ownership rules are debated in the months ahead. “We must combat these efforts to stifle free expression,” she said.