During a wide-ranging interview on CNBC Thursday, Federal Communications Commission Chair Brendan Carr hinted that Jimmy Kimmel’s show might not be the last casualty in President Donald Trump’s ongoing war on the media and the First Amendment.
Host Carl Quintanilla asked Carr whether the FCC shares Trump’s desire for NBC to take Jimmy Fallon and Seth Meyers off the air next. While Carr said that he doesn’t speak for the president, he suggested more media upheaval could be on the horizon.
A cartoon by Tim Campbell.
“Our goal and our obligation is to make sure broadcasters are serving the public interest,” he said. “We’re in the midst of a massive shift in dynamics in the media ecosystem for lots of reasons, including the permission structure that President Trump’s election has provided. I would simply say we’re not done yet with seeing the consequences of that shift.”
Co-host David Faber then pressed him on what “we’re not done yet” means.
“Will you only be pleased when none of these comedians have a show on broadcast television?” he asked.
“It’s not about any particular show or any particular person,” Carr replied.” We’re in the midst of a very disruptive moment right now. I just frankly expect that we’re gonna continue to see changes in the media ecosystem.”
The media landscape has indeed shifted dramatically. Once dominated by critics of Trump, it’s now increasingly shaped—or pressured—by forces aligned with the White House. Outlets that have run coverage deemed “unfair” by Trump and his allies have been sued, investigated, or otherwise targeted.
A vivid example came on Wednesday when Disney, ABC’s parent company, suspended Kimmel’s show indefinitely after a monologue in which he criticized the right’s response to conservative activist Charlie Kirk’s murder.
“We hit some new lows over the weekend with the MAGA gang trying to characterize this kid who killed Charlie Kirk as anything other than one of them and doing everything they can to score political points from it,” Kimmel said.
Jimmy Kimmel
The backlash was immediate. Carr went on right-wing YouTuber Benny Johnson’s show and threatened to pull ABC’s broadcasting license over Kimmel’s comments. Hours later, owners of some ABC stations—including large broadcasters like Nexstar Media Group and Sinclair—told the network that they were dropping the show.
Suddenly, “Jimmy Kimmel Live!” was off the air, with Andrew Alford, the president of Nexstar’s broadcasting division, calling Kimmel’s monologue “offensive and insensitive at a critical time in our national political discourse.”
Of course, observers quickly noted that Nexstar is in the middle of a $6.2 billion merger with rival Tegna, which requires FCC approval. That left some critics questioning whether the cancellation was about the show or about appeasing regulators.
But it didn’t end there for Kimmel. Sinclair demanded that he apologize and make a “personal donation” to Kirk’s family and his organization, Turning Point USA—something that Carr said he endorses.
“I think Sinclair has every right to call for that,” he told CNBC.
Carr’s comments should set off alarm bells. While he frames these actions as broadcasters standing up for local values, it’s a sharp turn from what he used to say. After all, just three years ago, he was praising political satire for “challenging those in power” and drawing people into the conversation.
What’s happening with Kimmel is part of a bigger issue: the media’s slow-motion MAGA makeover, which is happening through acquisitions that put Trump allies in charge and quieter changes that make once-tough coverage go soft.
After the 2024 election, some of the country’s most powerful media executives went out of their way to cozy up to Trump. At the Washington Post, owner Jeff Bezos repositioned the opinion pages around “personal liberties and free markets. And according to The New York Times, Los Angeles Times owner Patrick Soon-Shiong canceled a critical op-ed column that targeted Trump’s Cabinet picks.
Stephen Colbert’s late-night show was also canceled in July.
Those who don’t bend to Trump face consequences. CBS announced the end of “The Late Show with Stephen Colbert” in July, citing financial reasons. But the decision came amid a Paramount-Skydance merger requiring FCC approval and days after Colbert criticized a $16 million settlement Trump received from a “60 Minutes” interview dispute.
Other outlets also face pressure. Trump filed a $15 billion defamation suit against The New York Times, calling it a “full-throated mouthpiece of the Democrat Party,” and accused ABC and NBC of partisanship. Similarly, funding cuts to the Corporation for Public Broadcasting—which Trump has long claimed is liberal-leaning—forced its closure, too.
As for Kimmel, his late-night future remains uncertain. Disney reportedly considered bringing the show back, but Trump didn’t wait to celebrate its suspension on Truth Social.
“Congratulations to ABC for finally having the courage to do what had to be done. Kimmel has ZERO talent, and worse ratings than even Colbert, if that’s possible,” he wrote. “That leaves Jimmy and Seth, two total losers, on Fake News NBC. Their ratings are also horrible. Do it NBC!!!”
The war on the media continues. Under the Trump administration, broadcasting is increasingly treated as a political battlefield rather than a platform for entertainment or public discourse.
The message is clear: Dissent carries risk, and the stakes for independent journalism have never been higher.
