House Democratic leaders have called for the resignation of Federal Communications Commission (FCC) chair Brendan Carr, accusing him of forcing ABC to suspend Jimmy Kimmel's late-night show through regulatory threats. In a joint statement on Thursday, six lawmakers including Democratic leader Hakeem Jeffries described Carr's actions as a 'corrupt abuse of power' and accused him of bullying ABC into bending the knee to the Trump administration.
The suspension of Jimmy Kimmel Live! came after a monologue about the killing of conservative activist Charlie Kirk. Kimmel criticised 'Maga land' for capitalising on the murder and mocked Vice-President JD Vance's guest hosting of Kirk's podcast. Carr condemned the comments as 'truly sick' and suggested ABC and its parent company Disney could face regulatory consequences for spreading misinformation, arguing the network had violated obligations to operate in the 'public interest'.
ABC has not explained whether the indefinite suspension was driven by government pressure, affiliate concerns, or public backlash. The network faces several regulatory issues requiring FCC approval. Carr, who became FCC chairman on 20 January without Senate confirmation, has been accused by former FCC chairs of threatening the independence of the commission.
The Democratic lawmakers threatened congressional investigations and warned they would 'make sure the American people learn the truth, even if that requires the relentless unleashing of congressional subpoena power'. They characterised the suspension as censorship and suggested it could be part of a 'corrupt pay-to-play scheme'.
Kimmel is the second prominent US late-night host to lose his show in recent months, following CBS's cancellation of Stephen Colbert's show in July after he criticised Trump. The FCC did not immediately respond to a request for comment.
