Credit: Video Screenshot, FCC Open Meeting/ABC Promotional ImageOn September 17, fans were shocked to learn that Jimmy Kimmel and his Emmy-winning show had been suspended indefinitely by Disney and ABC. The move came after ABC’s two largest affiliate broadcasters, NexStar Media and Sinclair Broadcasting, announced they would not air the show on their nearly 70 affiliate stations after comments Mr. Kimmel made about Donald Trump and the assassination of Charlie Kirk.
Disney faced significant backlash for its decision — protests were held outside its Burbank studio, its stock declined, and nearly 2 million Disney+ subscribers canceled their subscriptions. Just five days after his suspension, Disney and ABC announced that they had reached an agreement, and Jimmy Kimmel Live! would return the next day. Then, on September 26, NexStar and Sinclair agreed to put the show back on their stations.
Related: Jimmy Kimmel Reveals Details of Shocking Suspension, Belief He Was Never Returning
While Disney and ABC were the focus of fans’ ire, Disney CEO Bob Iger found himself in a very challenging situation when he was threatened by Brendan Carr, the head of the Federal Communications Commission.
Two days after the now-infamous Kimmel comments were made, Brendan Carr went on Benny Johnson’s conservative podcast, saying that Disney could do things “the easy way or the hard way.”
“Frankly, when you see stuff like this, I mean, we can do this the easy way, or the hard way. These companies can find ways to change conduct, to take action, frankly, on Kimmel, or there’s going to be additional work for the FCC ahead.”
Look, there’s calls for Kimmel to be fired. You could certainly see a path forward for suspension over this. Again, the FCC is going to have remedies that we can look at. We may ultimately be called to be a judge on that.”
Related: Democrats and Republicans Unite in Their Disdain for How Disney Handled the Jimmy Kimmel Situation
Even after Mr. Kimmel was suspended, Carr and the FCC didn’t let up on the Mouse House. On a different podcast, he said that the FCC was also considering investigating The View — another ABC show that has frequently found itself at odds with Donald Trump. Carr claimed that the show might have violated the Equal Opportunity Rule regarding its guests. That rule typically applies to news broadcasts, but can apply to talk shows, like The View, in certain situations.
One thing that a lot of people found surprising was how Democrats and Republicans came together to harshly criticize Carr for the comments he made, with even some extreme conservatives saying that Mr. Kimmel should not have been suspended because he made statements that some people didn’t like.
And now, Carr will have to answer for his statements.
Related: Shareholders Accuse Disney of Financial Abuse After Kimmel Suspension
According to reports, the Senate Commerce Committee has called on Carr to testify about the comments he made regarding ABC, potential investigations, and the suspension of Jimmy Kimmel Live! off the air. The committee is headed by Texas Senator Ted Cruz, who was one of the first Republicans to criticize Carr for his remarks.
“I think it is unbelievably dangerous for government to put itself in the position of saying we’re going to decide what speech we like and what we don’t, and we’re going to threaten to take you off air if we don’t like what you’re saying,” Cruz said last month on his podcast, “Verdict with Ted Cruz,” after Kimmel’s show was indefinitely suspended.
Carr has agreed to testify before the committee, but maintains that he never threatened Disney or ABC, and said that Democrats are the primary ones calling his comments “threats.”
No date has been set for the committee hearing, but everything is up in the air as the government is currently shut down.
What do you think about both Democrats and Republicans coming together to criticize Brendan Carr for what he said? Do you think the FCC Chair was, in fact, threatening both Disney and ABC? How do you think networks should address comments made by comedians? Do you think Jimmy Kimmel’s suspension was an attack on free speech? Let us know your thoughts in the comments!