ABC's indefinite suspension of Jimmy Kimmel Live! has provoked widespread anger and alarm, with politicians, media figures, and free speech organisations warning that critics of Donald Trump are being systematically silenced. The decision came hours after Brendan Carr, the Trump-appointed chair of the US media regulator, threatened the broadcaster's affiliate stations' licenses.
The FCC chair defended the move, telling Fox News that local broadcasters telling a national programmer like Disney that content no longer meets community values was an 'important turning point'. Sinclair, one of the affiliate station owners that took Kimmel off air, indicated the show could return if Kimmel issued a 'direct apology to the Kirk family' and made a 'meaningful personal donation' to them and Turning Point USA.
Anna Gomez, the only Democratic member of the FCC, criticised Carr's remarks, stating that 'an inexcusable act of political violence by one disturbed individual must never be exploited as justification for broader censorship or control'. She added that the administration was increasingly using government power to suppress lawful expression.
The Producers Guild of America and the Writers Guild of America condemned the suspension as a violation of constitutional free speech rights. Former President Barack Obama posted that the administration had taken 'cancel culture' to a new level by threatening regulatory action against media companies, precisely the kind of coercion the First Amendment was designed to prevent.
California Governor Gavin Newsom called the firing of commentators and cancelling of shows 'coordinated' and 'dangerous', accusing the Republican party of censoring in real time. Illinois Governor JB Pritzker urged everyone to stand up and speak out, while Senator Chris Murphy said it was likely the start of a campaign to use the murder of Charlie Kirk as a pretext to wipe out Trump's critics.
