After FCC Chairman Brendan Carr announced an update to a longstanding rule excluding late-night and daytime talk shows from having to interview both opponents of a political party, late-night clapped back.
“I might need your help again,” Kimmel told his audience this week, referencing his previous battle with the FCC and broadcasters last year.
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Kimmel went on to explain how more conservative outlets aren’t being forced by the White House to abide by the revised rules, but the ABC host is because his show uses public airwaves.
But Carr wasn’t swayed by Kimmel’s comments. As a matter of fact, he used it as fuel.
“If you’re fake news, you’re not going to qualify for the bona fide news exception,” the FCC chief said during a Thursday press conference.
In a separate press conference of her own, Democratic FCC Commissioner Anna Gomez called out Carr’s true motives.
“We must keep in mind that the primary motivation for this action was to lend a hand to the political operation of this administration, not to help consumers,” she said. “And I also want to note what the administration is not focusing on, that these rules apply to all broadcasters, television and radio, and they must be applied evenly to the administration’s friends and critics alike.”
Gomez was referring to Carr’s pointed attack on just broadcasters, instead of making sweeping changes that reflect modern media consumption. In other words, the move appears to be intentionally targeting talk show hosts, like Kimmel, who have been critical of the president.
The equal time rule stipulates that shows on public airwaves that broadcast interviews with politicians must give the same opportunity to their opponents. In the past, late-night and daytime talk shows have been exempt from this, given that they were labeled as entertainment programs.
However, Carr claims that shows like “The View” have been “motivated by partisan purposes” and need to start providing fair airtime to opposing positions.
In September, Kimmel was briefly pulled from the air by Trump-friendly station owners after he made comments related to Charlie Kirk’s death.
At the time, Carr said during an interview with far-right commentator Benny Johnson that he had shows like Kimmel's in his sights.
“Frankly, when you see stuff like this, I mean, we can do this the easy way, or the hard way,” Carr said, referring to Kimmel’s comments on Kirk. “These companies can find ways to change conduct, to take action, frankly, on Kimmel, or there’s going to be additional work for the FCC ahead.”
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But what kind of impact might this actually have on these kinds of shows?
“It’s part of a pattern in this administration of constantly berating the broadcasters and the networks for the content of their programs,” Gomez said. “And that is what leads to the chilling effect, the cumulative effects of all of these threats, all of these discussions, always about the editorial decisions and the content of these broadcast stations.”
The FCC’s threats follow other attacks on traditional media, including bans from the White House briefing and catering to far-right influencers—and many, many lawsuits.
