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Federal Communications Commission chair Brendan Carr<\/a> denies ever threatening to revoke anyone\u2019s broadcasting licenses if they didn\u2019t deal with Jimmy Kimmel<\/a>.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n Carr was widely accused of pressuring ABC, Disney and the companies that control local television stations into firing Kimmel for comments the comedian made in the wake of Charlie Kirk\u2019s murder<\/a>, but while speaking at Concordia Summit 2025<\/a> in New York on Monday, the regulator maintained he had not used intimidation tactics \u201cin any way, shape or form.\u201d<\/p>\n<\/div>\n \u201cThe reality is, there\u2019s a lot of Democrats<\/a> out there that are engaged in a campaign of projection and distortion,\u201d he said. \u201cAnd distortion is they\u2019re completely misrepresenting the work of the FCC and what we\u2019ve been doing.\u201d<\/p>\n<\/div>\n It\u2019s true that Carr did not explicitly threaten to pull any broadcasting licenses while appearing on conservative commentator Benny Johnson\u2019s podcast last week. He did, however, say that companies had to \u201ctake action\u201d on Kimmel or there would be \u201cadditional work for the FCC ahead.\u201d<\/p>\n<\/div>\n As he told Johnson that networks could do things \u201cthe easy way or the hard way,\u201d many assumed he was reminding networks about the FCC\u2019s authority to regulate who has access to the airwaves through broadcast licensing.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n \u201cLook, there\u2019s calls for Kimmel to be fired,\u201d Carr said at the time. \u201cYou could certainly see a path forward for suspension over this. Again, the FCC is going to have remedies that we can look at. We may ultimately be called to be a judge on that.\u201d<\/p>\n<\/div>\n For many, it seemed like no coincidence that just hours later local television station owner Nexstar announced its networks would be pulling Kimmel\u2019s show off its networks \u201cfor the foreseeable future.\u201d That decision was closely followed by ABC\u2019s move to suspend<\/a> the program \u201cindefinitely.\u201d<\/p>\n<\/div>\n The chain of events prompted widespread outrage, with many accusing the government of wielding its power to silence its critics in a direct attack on the First Amendment.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n Following intense public pressure to reverse course, Disney announced<\/a> Kimmel would be returning to the air after just five days in limbo.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n 20 Years Of<\/span>Free<\/span>Journalism<\/span><\/p>\n Your Support<\/span>Fuels<\/span>Our Mission<\/span><\/p>\n<\/div>\n Your Support<\/span>Fuels<\/span>Our Mission<\/span><\/p>\n<\/div>\n