Jimmy Kimmel’s Show: FCC Chair Carr Says Suspension Was Due To Ratings, Not Government Pressure
Jimmy Kimmel’s show was suspended over his remarks made regarding Charlie Kirk’s assassination, but is now set to return.
Federal Communications Commission Chair Brendan Carr on Monday denied claims that the US government pressured Disney to suspend host Jimmy Kimmel’s show, attributing the move to declining ratings.
“Jimmy Kimmel is in the situation that he is in because of his ratings, not because of anything that’s happened at the federal government level,” Carr said at a forum in New York.
The statement comes after Carr’s earlier remarks sparked criticism after he warned media companies to act on Kimmel or face FCC scrutiny.
“We can do this the easy way or the hard way. These companies can find ways to change conduct and take action, frankly, on Kimmel, or there’s going to be additional work for the FCC ahead,” Carr had told podcaster Benny Johnson.
On this, Sen. Rand Paul had criticised Carr’s comments, calling them “absolutely inappropriate”. He noted that Carr had “no business weighing in.” Paul also vowed to fight any government interference in speech.
Former Disney CEO Michael Eisner called the FCC’s pressure “out-of-control intimidation,” questioning whether executives acted out of political or financial self-interest. Meanwhile, the White House defended Jimmy Kimmel’s suspension, backing the network’s decision.
“Jimmy Kimmel is a no-talent loser who has beclowned himself with tanking ratings and by spewing disgusting lies to his audience,” spokesperson Steven Cheung told The Post.
Kimmel’s show was suspended over his remarks regarding Charlie Kirk’s assassination. During last Monday’s episode, Kimmel criticised MAGA supporters for distorting the narrative around Kirk’s accused killer, Tyler Robinson.
"The MAGA gang desperately trying to characterise this kid who murdered Charlie Kirk as anything other than one of them and doing everything they can to score political points from it," Kimmel said.
Kimmel also mocked Donald Trump’s response to Kirk’s death, saying, “This is how a 4-year-old mourns a goldfish.”
Following this, the show was pulled from the ABC Network, but is now set to return.
ABC announced on Monday that ‘Jimmy Kimmel Live!’ will return to air on Tuesday, ending the week-long suspension.
“Last Wednesday, we made the decision to suspend production on the show to avoid further inflaming a tense situation at an emotional moment for our country,” the Walt Disney Company, which owns ABC, said in a statement. The statement further read that, after thoughtful consideration, it has been decided to return the show.
