(WASHINGTON)— PEN America warned today of a significant escalation of threats to free speech after Disney-owned ABC indefinitely pulled “Jimmy Kimmel Live!” from the air stemming from an ultimatum by Federal Communications Commission Chairman Brendan Carr that broadcast licenses could be pulled over Kimmel’s comments during a monologue about the political response to the murder of Charlie Kirk, including mocking President Trump.
The stunning decision to suspend the show on Wednesday came only hours after Carr, on a podcast, called on affiliates and broadcasters to “push back” on Disney over Kimmel’s comments, and suggested the FCC could pull broadcast licenses owned by Disney if it did not take action, saying: “We can do this the easy way or the hard way. These companies can find ways to change conduct and take actions on Kimmel, or there’s going to be additional work for the FCC ahead.”
“This marks a dark new level of capitulation and censorship of speech more redolent of autocracies than democracies. The Trump administration’s regulatory crusade against free speech has crossed an historic line with the indefinite removal of ‘Jimmy Kimmel Live!’ — an act of government-instigated censorship against satire and comedy. By demanding that broadcasters use public airwaves only for government-approved speech, the politicized Federal Communications Commission has sent a chilling message: commentary, even jokes, that challenge the president will be met with swift retaliation,” said Summer Lopez, interim co-CEO and chief program officer, Free Expression.
“ABC’s surprising corporate decision to settle with Donald Trump for $16 million days before the inauguration of a case largely thought to be without merit by media lawyers, already had dimmed the beacon of the First Amendment, but the same network’s suspension of late-night programming marks an alarming new stage of submission. When regulatory authority is wielded as a weapon of censorship, it is an assault on a free marketplace of ideas and becomes a warning shot to every journalist, comedian, and commentator who criticizes the government. Late night TV comedy thrives on being edgy and deploying satire, a tradition of free expression long embraced in the United States, particularly when it comes to presidents and politicians. It is censorship at the hands of the FCC, plain and simple. This moment must be recognized for what it is: an extraordinary assault on free speech in the United States.”
ABC’s decision to pull Kimmel came soon after Nexstar Media Group said it planned to preempt Kimmel’s show for the foreseeable future, citing his comments about Kirk. Weeks earlier, Nexstar, the nation’s largest owner of local television stations, announced plans to acquire a rival in a deal that would mark perhaps the biggest change in TV broadcast ownership history – one that would require the FCC to relax broadcast ownership rules. Against this backdrop, PEN America warned that networks and station owners are taking actions to censor content, knowing that their ability to boost profits depends on staying in the administration’s good graces.
About PEN America
PEN America stands at the intersection of literature and human rights to protect free expression in the United States and worldwide. We champion the freedom to write, recognizing the power of the word to transform the world. Our mission is to unite writers and their allies to celebrate creative expression and defend the liberties that make it possible. Learn more at pen.org.
Contact: Suzanne Trimel, [email protected], 201-247-5057