ABC to Halt Airing of ‘Jimmy Kimmel Live!’ Following FCC Pressure Over On-Air Remarks
NEW YORK – November 22, 2023 – ABC has decided to stop airing Jimmy Kimmel Live! following calls from Federal Communications Commission (FCC) Commissioner Brendan Carr for the network to address host Jimmy Kimmel’s comments about conservative commentator Charlie Kirk. Nexstar Media Group, a major ABC affiliate owner, also ceased airing the show.
Carr had urged local broadcasters to reconsider carrying Kimmel’s program and suggested the FCC could investigate whether the comments violated broadcasting standards, potentially leading to fines or license revocation.he praised Nexstar’s decision as a necessary pushback against “Disney programming that they determine falls short of community values.”
The controversy stems from Kimmel’s monologue on November 16, where he joked about Charlie Kirk’s recent hunting trip, suggesting Kirk had “accidentally shot a deer… or, you know, a human.”
FCC Commissioner Anna Gomez, the agency’s sole Democratic commissioner, criticized Carr’s actions, stating, “This administration is increasingly using the weight of goverment power to suppress lawful expression.”
Former president Donald Trump, who has a history of criticizing media coverage he dislikes, celebrated the cancellation of CBS’s The Late Show with Stephen Colbert in July, a program known for its anti-Trump satire, and afterward targeted Kimmel. “Next up will be an even less talented Jimmy Kimmel,” Trump said following Colbert’s show’s cancellation. CBS stated the decision to end The Late Show was financially driven, though some critics suggested political factors were involved.
Carr, a Trump appointee, has consistently voiced concerns about media bias and the role of the FCC in regulating broadcast content. The FCC regulates broadcast television licenses, which are essential for networks like ABC.
