Rosie O'Donnell has indicated she is not concerned about the Federal Communications Commission (FCC) or its chairman, Brendan Carr, ahead of her upcoming guest host role on ABC's "Jimmy Kimmel Live!" O'Donnell shared her perspective in a conversation with Kara Swisher on Swisher's podcast.
When asked by Swisher if she worried about the FCC or Carr taking action against her during her time hosting, O'Donnell responded dismissively. "No. What are they going to say? That you can't say that?" she asked, implying a lack of concern about potential censorship. O'Donnell added, "Well, I don't listen to them. I don't pay any heed to them."
Despite her lack of concern regarding the FCC, O'Donnell revealed that the network had not approved a parody song she intended to perform. She stated that the rejection was due to the song being considered "political content," a decision she found "absurd" given the history of parodies on her own past shows. However, a source familiar with the situation told Fox News Digital that the song has not been rejected but is currently undergoing copyright clearance.
O'Donnell is scheduled to guest host "Jimmy Kimmel Live!" for a week of episodes starting August 17, while Kimmel is on vacation. Other guest hosts for the show during Kimmel's hiatus will include Tiffany Haddish, Colman Domingo, Ike Barinholtz, Anthony Anderson, and Jelly Roll.
This statement comes in the context of past FCC actions and statements concerning "Jimmy Kimmel Live!". In 2025, FCC Commissioner Brendan Carr issued a warning to ABC and its parent company, Disney, regarding potential FCC actions after Kimmel made controversial remarks about Charlie Kirk's assassination. The incident led to some broadcast groups vowing to ban the show, though it later returned to air.
Carr has previously expressed a desire for local TV stations to be less aligned with national programmers and to better serve their local communities. He stated in February that he had "no regrets" about his previous comments and encouraged pushback from local affiliates against larger corporations like Disney.