FCC chair has no regrets over the dramatic Jimmy Kimmel saga last year
EXCLUSIVE—Federal Communications Commission (FCC) Chairman Brendan Carr says he has "no regrets" over his involvement in the Jimmy Kimmel saga that erupted last fall.
"Well, you can't see it because I have a collar and a tie on, but underneath I have a 'No Regrets' tattoo right across the bottom of my neck," Carr joked — alluding to the memorable scene from the 2013 comedy "We're the Millers" — in an interview with Fox News Digital. "And that's sort of the motto that I tend to live by."
In September, following the assassination of conservative icon Charlie Kirk, ABC's late-night host sparked outrage for his comments about Kirk's alleged murderer Tyler Robinson, suggesting he was part of MAGA despite the fact it had already been reported and reaffirmed by prosecutors that Robinson expressed a left-wing ideology.
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At the time, Carr issued a threat to Disney about the potential "avenues" the FCC could pursue.
"Look, we can do this the easy way or the hard way," Carr told YouTube host Benny Johnson at the time. "These companies can find ways to change conduct, to take action, frankly, on Kimmel, or, you know, there's going to be additional work for the FCC ahead."
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After companies like Nexstar Media Group and Sinclair Broadcast Group vowed to ban "Jimmy Kimmel Live!" on its stations, Disney announced it would preempt his show "indefinitely." But despite the FCC having no involvement in Disney's decision, Carr became the face of censorship allegations because of his comments so much so that he was satirized on "South Park" as a result.
Carr stands by the posture he had as the drama unfolded.
"We've been very clear with broadcasters that we're going to hold under the public interest obligation," Carr told Fox News Digital. "We've being trying to make sure that local stations feel empowered to push back on national programmers, including Disney, when they're running programming, that those local broadcasters don't think is a good fit for their community."
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The FCC chief said the stations owned by Sinclair Broadcast Group and Nexstar Media Group have "their right under the law" to not run Kimmel's show and that he was "really glad" that they decided to push back.
"In fact, I want to see more of that," Carr continued. "I think these local affiliates have become simply mouthpieces in too many cases for Disney and other national programmers. I don't think we're better off as a country for that. And so I really wanna see those local TV stations actually serve the needs of their community."
"It can't be that programming almost exclusively made in New York and Hollywood is in all cases the right fit for all of the thousands of different communities across this country. So it's time for local broadcasters to step up. And when you see something isn't a good fit, preempt the programming or run something that's a better sort of fit for your local community," he added.
Disney faced liberal backlash for benching Kimmel, with thousands canceling their Disney+ and Hulu subscriptions in protest as the Hollywood community rallied behind the liberal host. Upon his return to the airwaves, Kimmel offered a tearful monologue attempting to explain his comments.
Following a brief stand-off, both Sinclair Broadcast Group and Nexstar Media Group put Kimmel back on their airwaves. ABC extended Kimmel's contract until May 2027.
Fox News' Nora Moriarty contributed to this report.