Suspension of Jimmy Kimmel Live
ABC suspended Jimmy Kimmel Live after FCC Chairman Carr told a podcast 'We can do this the easy way or the hard way' — demonstrating that implicit government threats could produce corporate compliance without formal enforcement.
The Chain of Events
September 10, 2025: Conservative activist Charlie Kirk was assassinated.
September 15-16: Kimmel’s monologues criticized MAGA figures for politicizing the assassination.
September 17: Carr appeared on Benny Johnson’s podcast and said: “We can do this the easy way or the hard way. These companies can find ways to take action on Kimmel, or there is going to be additional work for the FCC ahead.”
Hours later, station groups Nexstar (which was seeking FCC approval for a $6.2 billion merger with Tegna) and Sinclair pulled Kimmel’s show from their markets.
September 18: ABC suspended “Jimmy Kimmel Live!” indefinitely. Trump celebrated on Truth Social.
September 24: Kimmel returned to air.
The Precedent
The Kimmel suspension established the pattern that would play out with Colbert: an FCC chairman makes implicit threats on media appearances, corporate entities with pending regulatory business before the FCC comply preemptively, and the government never has to formally act — meaning there is nothing to challenge in court.
The ACLU and FIRE both condemned the suspension as government overreach.