In an extraordinary clash over free speech and political power, Democrats are demanding FCC Chairman Brendan Carr resign after his remarks about broadcast content and penalties raise hard questions about government pressure on the future of industry consolidation.
Senator Chuck Schumer (D-NY) said, “He is one of the greatest threats to free speech America has ever seen. Brendan Carr should resign immediately.”
The flashpoint was Carr’s appearance on The Benny Show, a Cumulus Media–distributed podcast, where he suggested that remarks by Jimmy Kimmel on ABC’s Jimmy Kimmel Live! about the assassination of Charlie Kirk were not in the public interest and could invite fines or even license challenges.
Nexstar Media Group and Sinclair Inc. preempted Jimmy Kimmel Live!, followed by ABC’s indefinite suspension of the program. Nexstar currently has a $6.2 billion deal before the FCC to purchase Tegna, a fact some lawmakers say heightens vulnerability to regulatory pressure for companies with pending matters.
Sen. Edward Markey sought a Senate resolution condemning Carr, arguing that “a comedian was silenced because a government regulator flexed his authority,” and charging that Carr “has turned the FCC into the Federal Censorship Commission.” The measure was blocked by Sen. Markwayne Mullin (R-OK).
House Energy and Commerce Committee Ranking Member Frank Pallone Jr. (D-NJ) took to the House floor to urge Carr to step down. “All Jimmy Kimmel did was speak,” he said, lamenting, “There was a time when companies, particularly American broadcasters, would hold the line and assert their constitutional rights for all of us… But apparently that time is over, and it’s a dark day indeed.”
The fight lands amid ongoing ownership and rulemaking debates that also affect radio, where possible changes to caps and policy could reshape incentives and content decisions.
Inside the Commission, reactions diverged. Commissioner Anna Gomez criticized what she called ABC’s capitulation, saying, “this FCC does not have the authority, the ability, or the constitutional right to police content or punish broadcasters for speech the government dislikes,” and warning that even the threat of license revocation “poses an existential risk.”
Commissioner Olivia Trusty, speaking at a Free State Foundation luncheon, said she “firmly” supports the First Amendment but noted that “broadcasters have privileged access to spectrum and as a result they are expected to operate in the public interest.” She framed Nexstar and Sinclair’s actions as business judgments: they “made a business decision to remove or at least suspect the Jimmy Kimmel show because they did not believe it was in the public interest for their viewers.”
As consolidation continues and regulatory scrutiny intensifies, on-the-record comments from government officials about programming choices could reverberate well beyond late-night TV, shaping how broadcasters across audio and video weigh risk, reaction, and the public interest.
