Latest Kimmel Censorship Is Part of the Trump FCC's Lawless Crusade Against a Free Press

WASHINGTON — On Wednesday’s broadcast of Jimmy Kimmel Live, Kimmel told viewers that ABC would not air his scheduled interview with James Talarico, the Democratic Senate nominee from Texas. 

Kimmel indicated that the broadcast cancellation of the interview is a result of Federal Communications Commission Chairman Brendan Carr’s ongoing campaign against ABC. After President Trump repeatedly demanded that ABC lose its broadcast licenses over Kimmel’s jokes, Carr retaliated by forcing all ABC broadcast stations into a highly unusual early license-renewal process.

In addition, Carr has threatened ABC for airing newsworthy interviews. He forced ABC stations to apply for an exemption to the FCC’s equal-time rule for The View even though the agency had already granted the program a blanket exemption from the rule in 2002. Carr previously targeted ABC’s The View and CBS’ The Late Show with Stephen Colbert after they both broadcast interviews with Talarico.

Free Press Co-CEO Jessica J. González said:

“Trump has repeatedly demanded that FCC Chairman Brendan Carr abuse his power to chill the speech of the president’s perceived political opponents. Carr has been all too willing to comply.

“As we saw when CBS refused to air then-host Stephen Colbert’s interview with the same politician, this latest censorship attempt has nothing to do with a possible violation of the equal-time rule. Previous FCCs have been very clear: Talk- and variety-show formats that engage in bona fide news interviews are entitled to editorial discretion. Carr’s ongoing efforts to crack down on programs that displease Trump are part and parcel of his campaign to censor and control the media. What’s equally worrying is that many of these broadcast networks are too eager to cave to Carr’s demands when the First Amendment is clearly on their side.

“The public loses when ABC engages in self-censorship in response to Trump officials’ unlawful jawboning. This corporate cowardice is an unfortunate byproduct of a highly concentrated media system where conglomerates are accountable only to shareholders and the whims of power-hungry billionaires and autocrats.”

Background
In July, Free Press called out Carr for engaging in a political crusade against ABC stations’ broadcast licenses. His actions not only violate free-speech rights but distort and weaponize existing agency rules and procedures in service of a censorial president. In a June filing, Free Press opposed FCC efforts to end the newsworthy exemption for The View and other broadcast programs, calling it a politicized White House campaign designed to silence the voices of people who disagree with or challenge the president and his views.