Free Speech Defenders Demand FCC Chair Carr 'Resign Immediately'

Late-night host Jimmy Kimmel is back on air, but a coalition of free speech supporters on Tuesday called for FCC Chair Brendan Carr's resignation over his role in the comedian's temporary suspension earlier this month.

"The chair of the Federal Communications Commission should be the nation's defender of press freedom," said Robert Weissman, co-president of the consumer advocacy group Public Citizen, in a statement. "Instead, FCC Chair Brendan Carr has fashioned himself into a MAGA-waving, free-speech-be-damned bully, ready to abuse his power to take down the president's opponents."

Public Citizen and Free Press led dozens of pro-democracy organizations that released a letter to Carr on Tuesday morning during the FCC's monthly meeting, which also drew protesters demanding that Carr resign over the Kimmel incident.

As the letter details, during a podcast appearance, Carr "made a barely veiled threat" against Disney-owned ABC in response to Kimmel's remarks about President Donald Trump and the assassination of right-wing activist Charlie Kirk. Nexstar and Sinclair, which control over 60 ABC affiliates, swiftly announced they would not air "Jimmy Kimmel Live!" Then, the network suspended Kimmel indefinitely. Carr, the letter notes, "responded gleefully to these developments, sending celebratory GIFs to reporters."

Within days, as free speech advocates urged consumers nationwide to cancel their Disney subscriptions and vacations, Kimmel returned to his show. Nexstar and Sinclair initially pledged to still preempt his show, but they quickly changed course, too. Still, amid the Trump administration's broader assault on First Amendment rights, critics of Carr want accountability.

The coalition behind the letter to Carr includes Accountable. US, Fight for the Future, Freedom of the Press Foundation, Indivisible, MoveOn, Our Revolution, Progressive Democrats of America, Revolving Door Project, RootsAction, Stand Up America, and more.

"As someone who has repeatedly inveighed against the dangers of government censorship and who has specifically defended the importance of political satire, you know exactly how chilling and unconstitutional your statements have been," the 41 groups wrote.

"Yet since being made chairman of the FCC by Donald Trump and even before his election last year, you have repeatedly threatened newsrooms and interfered with broadcasters and other media outlets, based on meritless complaints about their journalistic practices and the content these companies produce," the coalition continued.

"To mitigate the damage you have caused, we urge you to retract and apologize for your remarks and clarify that FCC regulatory decisions are not impacted by the views expressed by broadcasters or on their programs," the coalition concluded. "But those actions by themselves will not be enough. Your constitutional transgression cannot be adequately remedied simply with an apology. You should resign immediately."

Highlighting the stakes of the Trump appointee remaining in power, Craig Aaron, co-CEO of Free Press, noted that "Kimmel may be back on the air, but Nexstar and Sinclair—the same giant conglomerates who refused to air Kimmel's show—have megadeals still pending before Carr's FCC and long-standing regulations they are trying to eliminate."

"Carr should not be the one making these decisions," Aaron stressed. "He should resign to prevent any further damage to free speech, press freedom, and the rule of law."