January 1, Kimmel Blasts FCC Chair For Free Speech Flip

Wyatt’s Take

• Jimmy Kimmel, back on TV, called out FCC Chairman Brendan Carr for hypocrisy.
• Kimmel says the FCC is threatening free speech, which worries many Americans.
• FCC leaders claim broadcasters must act “in the public interest” or face action.

Jimmy Kimmel returned to his late-night show after being suspended by ABC, using his monologue to criticize FCC Chairman Brendan Carr. Kimmel called Carr an “embarrassment and hypocrite” for making comments about regulating what podcasts people can access on their phones and Wi-Fi networks.

Kimmel argued this kind of government control would have been unthinkable in America just a decade ago. He pointed out the country has a long tradition of protecting free speech, and said it was wrong to tell businesses which ideas are allowed.

Brendan Carr had told a podcast host that the FCC might go after ABC and Disney over Kimmel’s earlier comments about Charlie Kirk’s murder. Carr claimed broadcasters had to “operate in the public interest” if they wanted to keep their licenses.

“Look, we can do this the easy way or the hard way,” said Carr. “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.”

Kimmel said Carr’s words were a “direct violation of the First Amendment” and that the FCC should not make threats against free speech. Kimmel also noted that Carr once praised political satire as a key part of free speech in a tweet from 2022, calling out Carr for changing his stance.

Kimmel ended by saying he never meant to make light of Kirk’s death, and admitted his earlier remarks “may have felt either ill-timed or unclear or maybe both.”

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Wyatt Matters

Middle America knows free speech is at the heart of our way of life. When government leaders try to decide what we can say or hear, it goes against what this country stands for. Folks here understand that the right to speak our minds must be protected for everyone, no matter how popular or unpopular those views might be.