The ABC took the late-night show of Comic Jimmy Kimmel, which was shown in the air indefinitely on Wednesday, just hours after Federal Communications Commission Chairman Brendan Kerr called comments about Charlie Kirk's assassination “really sick.”
Kerr is a longtime FCC commissioner who was appointed chairman by President Donald Trump in November. In the next few months, he began investigating ABC, CBS and NBC News.
“Americans no longer trust legacy national news media to report completely, accurately and fairly. This is a time of change,” Carr said in July after approving a $8 billion merger with SkyDance, CBS owner Paramount.
Here's what you need to know about Cars:
Carr is a longtime FCC commissioner.
The FCC regulates broadcasting, communications and broadband.
Kerr was already a longtime member of the committee and previously served as general advisor to the FCC. He was unanimously confirmed by the Senate three times, with Presidents Trump and Joe Biden nominating him to the committee.
Before joining the committee as a staff member in 2012, he worked as an attorney at Wiley Rein LLP, and was written in the US Court of Appeals in the Fourth Circuit.
He recently embraced Trump's ideas about social media and technology. He wrote a section dedicated to the FCC in “Project 2025.” This is an extensive blueprint for shooting federal labor and dismantling federal agencies in the second Trump administration, created by a conservative Heritage Foundation. Trump claims he knew nothing about Project 2025, but much of the theme is consistent with his statement.
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Kerr appeared to acknowledge the connection between GIF and Kimmel on social media on Wednesday and “Project 2025.”
FCC assumes broadcast network
In March, Kerr said he was launching a Walt Disney and ABC investigation to see if it “promotes a mysterious form of dei discrimination.” He also launched separate investigations of CBS and NBC News.
Speaking about Kimmel's situation on Wednesday on Fox News, he said that FCC-licensed broadcasters “have their own obligation to operate in the public interest.” For many years, the FCC has stepped away from enforcing its public interest obligations.
In July he welcomed the merger of Paramount Ski Dance as an opportunity to bring more balance to CBS “present at once.”
The FCC approval for the merger came after months of confusion over Trump's legal battle with the CBS program “60 minutes.” Paramount agreed to a $16 million settlement with the president as the ghost of the Trump administration potentially blocked the deal.
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CBS then announced it was cancelling Stephen Colbert's “Late Show” days after the comedians vehemently criticised the air. Paramount cited financial reasons, but celebrities both inside and outside the company have questioned those motivations.
Just before the FCC approved the merger, Paramount agreed to hire an ombudsman on CBS News to investigate complaints of political bias. The job went to Kenneth Weinstein, the former head of a conservative think tank who made several donations to Republican causes, including President Donald Trump's 2024 campaign.
On Wednesday, Kerr said Kimmel appears to be making a deliberate effort to mislead the public as the conservative activist Kirk's assassin is a right-wing Trump supporter. He called Kimmel's comments about Kirk's death “really ill” and said his agency had a strong case to hold Kimmel, ABC and Disney accountable for spreading misinformation.
Kirk, the head of conservative podcasters, was shot and killed last week on a university campus in Utah.
Kimmel made several comments on “Jimmy Kimmel Live” last week about his reaction to Kirk's death.
“This is a very serious problem for Disney right now,” Kerr told the Benny Johnson podcast. “We can do this in an easy or difficult way, and these companies can find ways to take action in Kimmel.
House Democrat leaders on Thursday called for Kerr to resign and denounced him “bullying” ABC for suspending Kimmel.
In a joint statement, leaders including House minority leader Hakeem Jeffries said the move was part of Trump and Republicans' efforts to “fight against the First Amendment Terms.”
– Using additional files from Global News
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