Kimmel May Be Back, but Trump's War on Free Speech Is No Joke
WASHINGTON — On Monday, Disney/ABC announced that Jimmy Kimmel’s late-night talk show would return to the airwaves Tuesday, after being suspended under pressure from Trump’s Federal Communications Commission.
Free Press Co-CEO Craig Aaron made the following statement:
“Here’s the good news: Protest works. Disney and its ABC affiliates across the country heard from thousands and thousands of angry viewers about their cowardly surrender to Trump and his FCC attack dog, Brendan Carr. Unions stepped up to defend their members at lively protests. Bipartisan members of Congress spoke out in shock. And Jimmy Kimmel’s peers used their bully pulpits — and their free-speech rights — to stick up for their colleague after he was silenced.
“Here’s the bad news: The Trump regime’s war on free speech is no joke — and it’s not over. Brendan Carr threatened the licenses of ABC affiliates with coercive, mafia-like threats because his boss in the White House didn’t like Kimmel’s views, a chilling First Amendment violation that would have forced any previous FCC chair to resign.
“Just days ago, Donald Trump unconscionably suggested TV licenses should be revoked because comedians were mocking him. Nexstar and Sinclair — two of the nation’s two largest broadcast chains — yanked Kimmel’s show off the air while lobbying for a major merger requiring FCC approval, on the one hand, or more FCC broadcast deregulation. This display of censorship, capitulation and corruption is unforgivable.
“We must continue to demand answers and accountability. Congress should investigate and put everyone involved — Brendan Carr, Nexstar’s Perry Sook, Sinclair’s Christopher Ripley and David D. Smith, and Disney/ABC’s Bob Iger, too — under oath at a public hearing to get to the bottom of this threat to free speech. We need to fully understand what pressure the government put on these media companies and what they were promised in exchange for cutting shows from their lineup and silencing network voices.
“The next time the Trump administration uses its power to shut down dissent, a rich and famous comedian likely won’t be the target. We are seeing journalists being fired and even deported for simply reporting the facts about this administration. Their stories are not making headline news, but the government’s attacks on their speech are no less important.
“The Trump regime is attempting to deport an innocent journalist, Mario Guevara, who it has been holding without charges for 100 days. The Pentagon is trying to force reporters to sign a blatantly unconstitutional pledge in exchange for press credentials. Trump openly threatens the careers of reporters who ask him questions at the White House. The list goes on and on — and so must our protests and pushback until everyone’s rights to speak freely are protected.”