Jimmy Kimmel in late-night return slams FCC chair for free speech pivot

After a nearly weeklong suspension from ABC, Jimmy Kimmel returned to the airTuesday with a 30-minute monologue addressing the controversial comments that led to his ouster and accusing the Trump administration of hypocrisy on free speech.

The late-night host questioned whether it was acceptable for the government to regulate “which podcasts the cellphone companies and Wi-Fi providers are allowed to let you download to make sure they serve the public interest.”

Kimmel said such an idea would have been unfathomable in the United States – a land that prides itself on its long tradition of free speech – even just 10 years ago. 

He took particular aim at FCC Chairman Brendan Carr over comments Carr made last week during an interview on the conservative podcast “The Benny Show,” hosted by Benny Johnson.

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A composite image shows late-night host Jimmy Kimmel, left, and FCC Chairman Brendan Carr, right, as affiliates suspended Kimmel’s show following his comments on Charlie Kirk. (Getty Images)

Carr told Johnson there were potential “avenues” the FCC could take against ABC and Disney after Kimmel suggested that Trump supporters were “desperately trying to characterize this kid who murdered Charlie Kirk as anything other than one of them.” 

Major local station owners Nexstar Media Group and Sinclair Broadcast Group have announced they will continue to preempt ABC’s “Kimmy Kimmel Live!” in key markets. (Randy Holmes/Disney via Getty Images)

Carr alleged that Kimmel was part of a “concerted effort” to mislead the public about the political leanings of Kirk’s suspected assassin, 22-year-old Tyler Robinson, who FBI officials and Utah Gov. Spencer Cox said held a “leftist ideology.”

Carr said broadcasters, whose licenses are granted by the FCC, have an “obligation to operate in the public interest.” 

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“Look, we can do this the easy way or the hard way. These companies can find ways to change conduct, to take action, frankly, on Kimmel, or, you know, there’s going to be additional work for the FCC ahead,” Carr said. 

Kimmel said Carr telling an American company this would amount to a “direct violation of the First Amendment [and] is not a particularly intelligent threat to make in public.” 

“The FCC has a long tradition of meddling where they shouldn’t under many administrations. But it wasn’t always like this,” Kimmel said. 

FCC Chair Brendan Carr told The Wall Street Journal in a new interview he will not shy away from penalizing media broadcasters who engage in misconduct. (John McDonnell/Getty Images)

He also highlighted a 2022 tweet from Carr himself, posted while serving as an FCC commissioner under the Biden administration, that read: “Political satire is one of the oldest and most important forms of free speech. It challenges those in power while using humor to draw more people into the discussion. That’s why people in influential positions have always targeted it for censorship.”

Kimmel revealed that the commissioner who wrote that tweet was none other than Carr. 

In his monologue, Kimmel clarified that it had not been his intention to “make light” of Kirk’s assassination earlier this month. 

“I don’t think there’s anything funny about it,” Kimmel said, choking up. “Nor was it my intention to blame any specific group for the actions of what … was obviously a deeply disturbed individual. That was really the opposite of the point I was trying to make.” 

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Kimmel conceded that his remarks last week may have “felt either ill-timed or unclear or maybe both.” 

Fox News Digital has reached out to the FCC for comment. 

Fox News Digital’s Joseph A. Wulfsohn contributed to this report.