Right-leaning culture- and sports-focused podcasters are split over the free speech implications of ABC’s September 18 decision to preempt J
Alyssa Tirrell, Jack Winstanley, and Noah Dowe at MMFA:
Right-leaning culture- and sports-focused podcasters are split over the free speech implications of ABC’s September 18 decision to preempt Jimmy Kimmel Live! “indefinitely.” The punitive move followed Federal Communication Commission Chairman Brendan Carr’s seeming threat over the host’s comments about the recent killing of Turning Point USA founder Charlie Kirk. Some hosts and panelists of podcasts have raised concerns about whether the move will have a “chilling effect on free speech,” as Tim Dillon put it, while others have claimed ABC was simply making a business decision or that Kimmel's comments justified his suspension. “This isn’t First Amendment,” said PBD Podcast panelist Tom Ellsworth. Kimmel’s suspension came one day after Carr, who authored Project 2025’s chapter on the FCC, suggested ABC “can do this the easy way or the hard way,” echoing his promise to end supposed “biased and partisan conduct” from networks.
ABC pulled Kimmel off the air following pressure from conservative broadcasters and the FCC, whose chairman helped author Project 2025
During a monologue on Jimmy Kimmel Live! on September 15, Kimmel criticized the “MAGA gang” for “desperately trying to characterize this kid who murdered Charlie Kirk as anything other than one of them, and doing everything they can to score political points from it.” According to The Guardian, the monologue was “recorded before Utah prosecutors released more information about the alleged killer,” and it was “not clear if Kimmel was suggesting Robinson was a literal supporter of Maga, or that his alleged political violence was part of a broader shift towards bloodshed and force in US politics, particularly among the far right.” [The Guardian, 9/18/25]
In a September 17 appearance on right-wing podcaster Benny Johnson’s show, FCC Chairman Brendan Carr appeared to threaten Kimmel's corporate bosses, saying, “We can do this the easy way or the hard way.” Carr also evoked the power that broadcasters like Nexstar and Sinclair hold, adding, “These companies can find ways to change conduct to take action on Kimmel or, you know, there's going to be additional work for the FCC ahead.” [NPR, 9/18/25]
ABC affiliates Nexstar and Sinclair Broadcast Group announced they would pull Kimmel’s show from their local stations. [NPR, 9/18/25]
Nexstar is in the midst of a deal that requires FCC approval. The New York Times reported in August that Nexstar is in the final stages of a deal “to acquire a rival TV company, Tegna, for $6.2 billion,” which would allow it to “oversee 265 television stations in 44 states and Washington, D.C., cementing its position as the largest owner of local TV stations in the country.” The purchase, yet to be finalized, still “requires approval from the Federal Communications Commission.” [The New York Times, 8/19/25]
ABC, which is owned by the Walt Disney Company, announced on September 17 that they were pulling Kimmel’s show “indefinitely.” ABC pulled the show, even though multiple executives reportedly “felt that Kimmel had not actually said anything over the line.” [The New York Times, 9/17/25; Rolling Stone, 9/17/25]
Carr authored the chapter of the conservative Project 2025 playbook about the FCC, and following Trump's selection of him to run the agency, he promised to “dismantle the censorship cartel and restore free speech rights for everyday Americans.” Carr, whose chapter of Mandate for Leadership called for “eliminating many of the heavy-handed FCC regulations,” also accused networks like CBS and NBC of engaging in “biased and partisan conduct” before the 2024 election, citing in part Saturday Night Live’s decision to air a skit featuring Democratic presidential nominee Kamala Harris. [CBS News, 11/19/24; Brookings, 2/25/25; CNN, 9/18/25]
Carr has scrutinized and investigated numerous other networks and news outlets. Since the start of his tenure, Carr has launched investigations or “formal reviews” into “nearly all the major broadcast networks — ABC, CBS, NBC, NPR and PBS,” as well as Comcast and a San Francisco-based radio station. [NPR, 8/25/25; Los Angeles Times, 2/6/25]
The American Civil Liberties Union and the only Democrat on the FCC have raised alarms over the free speech implications of Carr’s actions. Federal Communications Commissioner Anna Gomez stated at a conference hosted by Axios that “the FCC is weaponizing its licensing authority in order to bring broadcasters to heel,” adding that “the FCC doesn't have the authority, the ability, or the constitutional rights to revoke licenses because of content.” A statement from an ACLU spokesperson decried the pressure campaign as “beyond McCarthyism,” adding, “Trump officials are repeatedly abusing their power to stop ideas they don’t like, deciding who can speak, write, and even joke.” [NPR, 9/19/25; ACLU, 9/17/25]
Right-leaning podcasters split on whether or not the FCC-forced suspension of Jimmy Kimmel is an encroachment of free speech.