WASHINGTON — FCC Chairman Brendan Carr said Thursday that Jimmy Kimmel appeared to directly mislead the public by linking Charlie Kirk’s killer to the Make America Great Again movement, as ABC suspended the late-night program indefinitely. Carr told CNBC that the issue at hand was not a laughing matter or a simple joke, and he signaled the possibility of regulatory action in a case he described as presenting a public-interest concern for broadcast licensees. The comments came in the wake of Monday’s monologue in which Kimmel appeared to connect Kirk’s killer to MAGA poignantly, a line that sparked swift public backlash and broadcaster displeasure.
Carr told CNBC that the remarks were not harmless and emphasized that networks with broadcast licenses have a duty to serve the public interest. “The issue that arose here, where lots and lots of people were upset, was not a joke,” he said. “It was not making fun.” He added that there was a “strong case” to take action against ABC and its parent company, Disney, noting that the actions of a broadcast network in such a moment of national discourse could have meaningful consequences. Carr also warned that the FCC could pursue actions beyond the “easy route,” signaling that additional regulatory work could lie ahead for the commission if broadcasters fail to meet obligations to accuracy and public interest.
ABC said Wednesday that it would pull Kimmel’s show from the air “indefinitely,” a decision that came shortly after Nexstar Media Group announced it would replace the program on its ABC-affiliated stations with other programming for the foreseeable future. Nexstar, which owns about 10% of ABC affiliates, said that Mr. Kimmel’s comments about the death of Mr. Kirk were offensive and insensitive at a critical time in national political discourse, and that they did not reflect the spectrum of opinions or values of the local communities served by the company’s stations. Andrew Alford, president of Nexstar’s broadcasting division, added that continuing to give Kimmel a broadcast platform in those communities would not be in the public interest at the current time.
The episode that sparked the controversy followed reporting that Tyler Robinson, who investigators say killed Charlie Kirk at a Turning Point USA event, had his own political views come under scrutiny in the days after the shooting. Court documents filed the following day showed that Robinson’s mother told investigators her son had become more political over the past year, leaning left and adopting more progressive views on gay and transgender rights. Officials have described the killing as one of the most significant political assassinations in recent memory, though investigators have not released all public details about motive. Kirk’s death has prompted renewed debates about how political violence is discussed in the media and how networks frame sensitive events on air.
During a CNBC interview, Carr sought to separate his stance from the broader political discourse surrounding the incident, arguing that his push for accountability was not a partisan maneuver. He said he did not want the discussion to be read as an attack on anti-Trump sentiment in late-night television, but rather as a defense of the standards that govern licensed broadcasters. Trump, meanwhile, cheered the suspension, posting on Truth Social that Kimmel’s show had become “ratings-challenged,” and used the moment to riff at Stephen Colbert after CBS announced plans to end Colbert’s late-night program after 10 years on air. Carr, speaking with CNBC, denied that his actions were tied to his views on Trump, insisting there was no political motive in pursuing action against Kimmel.
Beyond the individual case, the evolving regulatory landscape around broadcast content intersects with corporate consolidation dynamics. Nexstar’s pending $6.2 billion merger with Tegna remains under review by the Federal Communications Commission, a process in which the industry watches closely for signs of how licensees will respond to heightened scrutiny of public-interest obligations. In the broader context, Disney-ABC is navigating both the fallout from the Kimmel decision and the regulatory environment surrounding its media holdings, with Carr signaling that the FCC could consider additional actions if networks do not uphold standards for accuracy and accountability in coverage of politically charged events.
Trump’s reaction to the Kimmel suspension underscored the partisan tensions at play in media decisions tied to the political climate. In his public posts, he highlighted perceived bias in networks he has long criticized as biased against him, even as he faces ongoing legal challenges and scrutiny from other political actors. The developments culminate in a larger question about how broadcasters balance free expression, public-interest obligations, and the consequences of misrepresentation or sensationalism when public safety and political discourse are at stake.
As the FCC weighs its next steps, stakeholders from networks, regulators, and political actors are watching closely to see whether a high-profile suspension could set a precedent for how the broadcast industry addresses content perceived as inflaming political tensions. The Kimmel case underscores a broader debate about responsible messaging in media and the potential consequences when late-night programming intersects with live political events and violent outcomes.