FCC Chief Heads to Senate Hot Seat Over Jimmy Kimmel Live's Suspension

Well this is awkward. A Trump-appointed FCC commissioner, Brendan Carr, is now headed to the Senate Commerce Committee to talk about his role in the short-lived suspension of 'Jimmy Kimmel Live!' across a chunk of the country. Yes, this whole saga involves an FCC official leaning on TV station groups about a late-night show. It is exactly as inside baseball as it sounds.

How we got here

After Jimmy Kimmel made explosive on-air comments about Charlie Kirk's death and how conservatives were framing it, Carr went on a conservative podcast and dangled the prospect of an FCC probe into ABC affiliates over alleged 'news distortion' unless, basically, someone did something about Kimmel.

'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.'

Not long after that, two major station owners, Sinclair and Nexstar, pulled 'Jimmy Kimmel Live!' from their ABC affiliates. Carr publicly cheered the move. For anyone who does not follow the broadcasting beat: ABC supplies the show, but local station groups like Sinclair and Nexstar control what actually airs in your city, and they can preempt network programming. That is how you end up with a late-night show effectively 'suspended' in a whole lot of markets without ABC itself canceling anything.

The backlash (and a weird detour)

Carr's jawboning set off free speech alarms on the right and left. Senator Ted Cruz blasted the idea of a government regulator pressuring broadcasters over content, then muddied things by saying on his podcast 'Verdict with Ted Cruz' that he was glad Kimmel was fired. He was not fired.

'That will end up bad for conservatives. There will come a time when a Democrat wins again, wins the White House. They will get rid of everything America that’s conservative.'

On the other side of the aisle, members like Representative Adam Schiff raised their own questions about Carr's role, framing the whole episode as a bigger First Amendment problem.

Carr walks it back (sort of)

As the controversy escalated, Carr tried to downplay his influence, insisting he never threatened to yank any broadcaster's license. Still, the timing is what it is: he talked tough about 'news distortion,' the show got pulled in a lot of markets, and he celebrated that result.

Senate wants answers

The Senate Commerce Committee plans to bring Carr in to testify about all of this. There is no hearing date yet. Expect questions about where the line is between oversight and intimidation when a federal regulator publicly pressures station groups over programming decisions.

Where things stand now

As of September 26, 2025, Sinclair and Nexstar said they are ending their 'Jimmy Kimmel Live!' preemptions. The show is back on the air.

• Carr, a Trump-appointed FCC commissioner, hinted at investigating ABC affiliates for 'news distortion' after Kimmel's comments about Charlie Kirk's death.
• Sinclair and Nexstar then suspended/preempted 'Jimmy Kimmel Live!' across their ABC stations; Carr applauded the move.
• Blowback followed: Cruz criticized the pressure on speech (and incorrectly said Kimmel was fired), while Adam Schiff and others raised broader First Amendment concerns.
• Carr later said he never threatened to revoke any licenses.
• The Senate Commerce Committee will hear from Carr about his involvement; no date yet.
• On September 26, 2025, Sinclair and Nexstar ended the preemptions. Kimmel's show is back.