First Amendment advocates increasingly worried after ABC pulled Jimmy Kimmel's show Taylor Seely and Angele Latham, USA TODAY NETWORKSeptember 19, 2025 at 3:07 AM 0 ABC pulled comedian Jimmy Kimmel's latenight show following veiled threats from the Federal Communications Commission and now President...
- - First Amendment advocates increasingly worried after ABC pulled Jimmy Kimmel's show
Taylor Seely and Angele Latham, USA TODAY NETWORKSeptember 19, 2025 at 3:07 AM
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ABC pulled comedian Jimmy Kimmel's late-night show following veiled threats from the Federal Communications Commission and now President Donald Trump has called on the FCC to revoke the broadcast licenses of stations that criticize him.
Both moves mark escalations by government officials in stifling free speech since the assassination of conservative activist Charlie Kirk, First Amendment advocates warn.
Before Trump's remarks Sept. 18, free speech advocates had already criticized Kimmel's suspension and, in particular, FCC Chair Brendan Carr's role. ABC announced the "indefinite" suspension of Kimmel and his show hours after Carr called for it on a right-wing podcast.
"That's a very vivid example to the public of government pressure on private speakers to suppress speech," Adam Steinbaugh, an attorney at the Foundation for Individual Rights and Expression, said about Carr's comments that ABC could "do it the easy way or the hard way."
Steinbaugh added, "At all levels of government, you have officials setting bad examples, sending the message to the public that if you don't like what someone says, then we will be there to make sure that they face consequences."
Trump defended Carr's statements and went further when asked about them by reporters.
"They're 97% against — they give me only bad publicity or press," Trump claimed about his coverage on TV networks while aboard Air Force One. "I mean, they're getting a license. I would think maybe their license should be taken away. It will be up to Brendan Carr."
Three days prior, Vice President JD Vance and Trump's Deputy Chief of Staff Stephen Miller said the administration would "go after" left-leaning organizations they say have incited violence.
Those threats, the policing of negative speech about Kirk online and statements made by U.S. Attorney General Pam Bondi regarding prosecuting hate speech all have contributed to an environment that Steinbaugh said is not "healthy" for the First Amendment.
Adam Carolla and Jimmy Kimmel from "The Man Show" appear on "The Tonight Show with Jay Leno" at the NBC Studios in Los Angeles on Nov. 19, 2001.
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Adam Carolla and Jimmy Kimmel from "The Man Show" appear on "The Tonight Show with Jay Leno" at the NBC Studios in Los Angeles on Nov. 19, 2001.
">Adam Carolla and Jimmy Kimmel from "The Man Show" appear on "The Tonight Show with Jay Leno" at the NBC Studios in Los Angeles on Nov. 19, 2001.
" src=https://ift.tt/uV8G9Mp class=caas-img>Jimmy Kimmell sits at a late night host practice desk and interviews with "TRL" host Carson Daly in New York on Jan. 14, 2003.
" data-src=https://ift.tt/NdqI36k class=caas-img data-headline="ABC pulls Jimmy Kimmel off-air: Revisit the talk show host's career" data-caption="
Jimmy Kimmell sits at a late night host practice desk and interviews with "TRL" host Carson Daly in New York on Jan. 14, 2003.
">Jimmy Kimmell sits at a late night host practice desk and interviews with "TRL" host Carson Daly in New York on Jan. 14, 2003.
" src=https://ift.tt/NdqI36k class=caas-img>Jimmy Kimmel and Sarah Silverman during 2nd annual Lakers Casino Night Benefiting the Lakers Youth Foundation red carpet at Barker Hanger in Santa Monica, California, in 2005.
" data-src=https://ift.tt/XaJIKGi class=caas-img data-headline="ABC pulls Jimmy Kimmel off-air: Revisit the talk show host's career" data-caption="
Jimmy Kimmel and Sarah Silverman during 2nd annual Lakers Casino Night Benefiting the Lakers Youth Foundation red carpet at Barker Hanger in Santa Monica, California, in 2005.
">Jimmy Kimmel and Sarah Silverman during 2nd annual Lakers Casino Night Benefiting the Lakers Youth Foundation red carpet at Barker Hanger in Santa Monica, California, in 2005.
" src=https://ift.tt/XaJIKGi class=caas-img>Jimmy Kimmel speaks onstage during the American Cinematheque 24th annual awards show to honor Matt Damon at The Beverly Hilton on March 27, 2010, in Beverly Hills, California.
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Jimmy Kimmel speaks onstage during the American Cinematheque 24th annual awards show to honor Matt Damon at The Beverly Hilton on March 27, 2010, in Beverly Hills, California.
">Jimmy Kimmel speaks onstage during the American Cinematheque 24th annual awards show to honor Matt Damon at The Beverly Hilton on March 27, 2010, in Beverly Hills, California.
" src=https://ift.tt/9nPIOdf class=caas-img>Jimmy Kimmel appears onstage at City of Hope's Music and Entertainment Industry's Spirit of Life Gala in the Diamond Ballroom at the Ritz-Carlton and JW Marriott Hotels on Jan. 13, 2010, in Los Angeles.
" data-src=https://ift.tt/faUrZVQ class=caas-img data-headline="ABC pulls Jimmy Kimmel off-air: Revisit the talk show host's career" data-caption="
Jimmy Kimmel appears onstage at City of Hope's Music and Entertainment Industry's Spirit of Life Gala in the Diamond Ballroom at the Ritz-Carlton and JW Marriott Hotels on Jan. 13, 2010, in Los Angeles.
">Jimmy Kimmel appears onstage at City of Hope's Music and Entertainment Industry's Spirit of Life Gala in the Diamond Ballroom at the Ritz-Carlton and JW Marriott Hotels on Jan. 13, 2010, in Los Angeles.
" src=https://ift.tt/faUrZVQ class=caas-img>Jimmy Kimmel and Emily Blunt onstage during the 16th annual Critics' Choice Movie Awards on Jan. 14, 2011.
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Jimmy Kimmel and Emily Blunt onstage during the 16th annual Critics' Choice Movie Awards on Jan. 14, 2011.
">Jimmy Kimmel and Emily Blunt onstage during the 16th annual Critics' Choice Movie Awards on Jan. 14, 2011.
" src=https://ift.tt/YT051oQ class=caas-img>Jimmy Kimmel and Flavor Flav at the American Music Awards in 2006.
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Jimmy Kimmel and Flavor Flav at the American Music Awards in 2006.
">Jimmy Kimmel and Flavor Flav at the American Music Awards in 2006.
" src=https://ift.tt/PxRf1Um class=caas-img>Jimmy Kimmel speaking to media in 2015.
" data-src=https://ift.tt/NCz5Fj8 class=caas-img data-headline="ABC pulls Jimmy Kimmel off-air: Revisit the talk show host's career" data-caption="
Jimmy Kimmel speaking to media in 2015.
">Jimmy Kimmel speaking to media in 2015.
" src=https://ift.tt/NCz5Fj8 class=caas-img>Jimmy Kimmel and NBA player Kobe Bryant in 2013.
" data-src=https://ift.tt/TInsJwV class=caas-img data-headline="ABC pulls Jimmy Kimmel off-air: Revisit the talk show host's career" data-caption="
Jimmy Kimmel and NBA player Kobe Bryant in 2013.
">Jimmy Kimmel and NBA player Kobe Bryant in 2013.
" src=https://ift.tt/TInsJwV class=caas-img>Jimmy Kimmel and Molly McNearney in New York City in 2014.
" data-src=https://ift.tt/xkYOV2l class=caas-img data-headline="ABC pulls Jimmy Kimmel off-air: Revisit the talk show host's career" data-caption="
Jimmy Kimmel and Molly McNearney in New York City in 2014.
">Jimmy Kimmel and Molly McNearney in New York City in 2014.
" src=https://ift.tt/xkYOV2l class=caas-img>Jimmy Kimmel, John Stamos and comedian Don Rickles in Beverly Hills, California, in 2015.
" data-src=https://ift.tt/UGjTdZJ class=caas-img data-headline="ABC pulls Jimmy Kimmel off-air: Revisit the talk show host's career" data-caption="
Jimmy Kimmel, John Stamos and comedian Don Rickles in Beverly Hills, California, in 2015.
">Jimmy Kimmel, John Stamos and comedian Don Rickles in Beverly Hills, California, in 2015.
" src=https://ift.tt/UGjTdZJ class=caas-img>President Barack Obama talks with Jimmy Kimmel during a taping of his late-night talk show in 2015.
" data-src=https://ift.tt/l6UTh0d class=caas-img data-headline="ABC pulls Jimmy Kimmel off-air: Revisit the talk show host's career" data-caption="
President Barack Obama talks with Jimmy Kimmel during a taping of his late-night talk show in 2015.
">President Barack Obama talks with Jimmy Kimmel during a taping of his late-night talk show in 2015.
" src=https://ift.tt/l6UTh0d class=caas-img>Hillary Clinton appears on the "Jimmy Kimmel Live!" show in 2016.
" data-src=https://ift.tt/k8CSjPc class=caas-img data-headline="ABC pulls Jimmy Kimmel off-air: Revisit the talk show host's career" data-caption="
Hillary Clinton appears on the "Jimmy Kimmel Live!" show in 2016.
">Hillary Clinton appears on the "Jimmy Kimmel Live!" show in 2016.
" src=https://ift.tt/k8CSjPc class=caas-img>Jimmy Kimmel, wife Molly McNearney and daughter Jane Kimmel attend the 7th annual L.A. Loves Alex's Lemonade at UCLA on Sept. 10, 2016, in Los Angeles.
" data-src=https://ift.tt/elqd9zT class=caas-img data-headline="ABC pulls Jimmy Kimmel off-air: Revisit the talk show host's career" data-caption="
Jimmy Kimmel, wife Molly McNearney and daughter Jane Kimmel attend the 7th annual L.A. Loves Alex's Lemonade at UCLA on Sept. 10, 2016, in Los Angeles.
">Jimmy Kimmel, wife Molly McNearney and daughter Jane Kimmel attend the 7th annual L.A. Loves Alex's Lemonade at UCLA on Sept. 10, 2016, in Los Angeles.
" src=https://ift.tt/elqd9zT class=caas-img>Jimmy Kimmel attends the 2016 MusiCares Person of the Year honoring Lionel Richie at the Los Angeles Convention Center on Feb. 13, 2016 in Los Angeles.
" data-src=https://ift.tt/XeA9L56 class=caas-img data-headline="ABC pulls Jimmy Kimmel off-air: Revisit the talk show host's career" data-caption="
Jimmy Kimmel attends the 2016 MusiCares Person of the Year honoring Lionel Richie at the Los Angeles Convention Center on Feb. 13, 2016 in Los Angeles.
">Jimmy Kimmel attends the 2016 MusiCares Person of the Year honoring Lionel Richie at the Los Angeles Convention Center on Feb. 13, 2016 in Los Angeles.
" src=https://ift.tt/XeA9L56 class=caas-img>
Stephen Colbert and Jimmy Kimmel present the award for lead actress in a comedy series during the 71st Emmy Awards at the Microsoft Theater on Sept. 22, 2019.
" data-src=https://ift.tt/yrOm0Zf class=caas-img data-headline="ABC pulls Jimmy Kimmel off-air: Revisit the talk show host's career" data-caption="
Stephen Colbert and Jimmy Kimmel present the award for lead actress in a comedy series during the 71st Emmy Awards at the Microsoft Theater on Sept. 22, 2019.
">Stephen Colbert and Jimmy Kimmel present the award for lead actress in a comedy series during the 71st Emmy Awards at the Microsoft Theater on Sept. 22, 2019.
" src=https://ift.tt/yrOm0Zf class=caas-img>Jimmy Kimmel court side at a Los Angeles Lakers game in 2023.
" data-src=https://ift.tt/3FyDNSZ class=caas-img data-headline="ABC pulls Jimmy Kimmel off-air: Revisit the talk show host's career" data-caption="
Jimmy Kimmel court side at a Los Angeles Lakers game in 2023.
">Jimmy Kimmel court side at a Los Angeles Lakers game in 2023.
" src=https://ift.tt/3FyDNSZ class=caas-img>Jimmy Kimmel delivers the opening monologue during the 96th Academy Awards on March 10, 2024.
" data-src=https://ift.tt/vxbKMzd class=caas-img data-headline="ABC pulls Jimmy Kimmel off-air: Revisit the talk show host's career" data-caption="
Jimmy Kimmel delivers the opening monologue during the 96th Academy Awards on March 10, 2024.
">Jimmy Kimmel delivers the opening monologue during the 96th Academy Awards on March 10, 2024.
" src=https://ift.tt/vxbKMzd class=caas-img>Jimmy Kimmel watches the game between the Los Angeles Dodgers and the New York Yankees during game one of the 2024 MLB World Series at Dodger Stadium on Oct. 25, 2024.
" data-src=https://ift.tt/YSfT8Kz class=caas-img data-headline="ABC pulls Jimmy Kimmel off-air: Revisit the talk show host's career" data-caption="
Jimmy Kimmel watches the game between the Los Angeles Dodgers and the New York Yankees during game one of the 2024 MLB World Series at Dodger Stadium on Oct. 25, 2024.
">Jimmy Kimmel watches the game between the Los Angeles Dodgers and the New York Yankees during game one of the 2024 MLB World Series at Dodger Stadium on Oct. 25, 2024.
" src=https://ift.tt/YSfT8Kz class=caas-img>
Jimmy Kimmel, winner of the outstanding host for a game show award for "Who Wants to Be a Millionaire," attends the 2025 Creative Arts Emmy Awards at Peacock Theater on Sept. 7, 2025, in Los Angeles.
" data-src=https://ift.tt/yadjmKS class=caas-img data-headline="ABC pulls Jimmy Kimmel off-air: Revisit the talk show host's career" data-caption="
Jimmy Kimmel, winner of the outstanding host for a game show award for "Who Wants to Be a Millionaire," attends the 2025 Creative Arts Emmy Awards at Peacock Theater on Sept. 7, 2025, in Los Angeles.
">Jimmy Kimmel, winner of the outstanding host for a game show award for "Who Wants to Be a Millionaire," attends the 2025 Creative Arts Emmy Awards at Peacock Theater on Sept. 7, 2025, in Los Angeles.
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1 / 23ABC pulls Jimmy Kimmel off-air: Revisit the talk show host's career
Adam Carolla and Jimmy Kimmel from "The Man Show" appear on "The Tonight Show with Jay Leno" at the NBC Studios in Los Angeles on Nov. 19, 2001.
Kimmel under fire after FCC commissioner's comments
Kimmel's suspension came after Carr was asked by Benny Johnson, a right-wing political commentator, about the comedian's monologue.
Kimmel had said, "We hit some new lows over the weekend with the MAGA gang 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."
Johnson blasted the remarks as attempts to justify violence and blame Kirk for his own death.
Carr responded that broadcasters "have a license granted by us at the FCC, and that comes with it an obligation to operate in the public interest."
He continued, "We can do this the easy way or the hard way. These companies can find ways to change conduct to take action, frankly, on Kimmel, or there's going to be additional work for the FCC ahead."
Brendan Carr, chairman of the Federal Communications Commission, testifies at a House hearing on May 21, 2025, in Washington, DC.
The statement appeared to contradict Carr's previous comments. In 2019, he wrote on social media, "The FCC does not have a roving mandate to police speech in the name of the 'public interest.'"
The FCC regulates radio and broadcast stations nationwide. National television networks such as ABC, CBS, NBC and Fox are not granted licenses by the FCC. Instead, the FCC issues licenses to individual local broadcast affiliates authorizing the stations to use public airwaves.
Within hours of Carr's comments, Nexstar Media Group Inc., which operates 32 ABC affiliates, announced it would stop airing Kimmel's show. "Mr. Kimmel's comments about the death of Mr. Kirk are offensive and insensitive at a critical time in our national political discourse," Andrew Alford, president of Nexstar's broadcasting division, said.
Nexstar is seeking FCC approval to acquire the broadcast company Tegna. Approval would require lifting the station ownership limit, which bans broadcasters from reaching more than 39% of the national audience.
Nexstar has rejected claims it suspended the show over pressure from the feds.
ABC followed suit, announcing the "indefinite" suspension of Kimmel and "Jimmy Kimmel Live!"
In a statement made on CNBC's Squawk on the Street Thursday, Carr stated that he expects to see "more shifts" in the "media ecosystem."
"We are not done yet," he said.
This is not the first time ABC has landed in the crosshairs of the Trump administration.
The network paid nearly $15 million following a December settlement with Trump after he sued for defamation.
One day before Kimmel's suspension, when ABC reporter Jon Karl asked Trump about comments made by Bondi regarding hate speech, Trump said she'll "probably go after people like you because you treat me so unfairly."
"It's hate. You have a lot of hate in your heart," he said, before going on to assert that ABC's settlement was due to a "form of hate speech."
The settlement did not deal with hate speech, but rather defamation, after anchor George Stephanopoulos asked why a congresswoman supported Trump despite his being found "liable for rape" in a 2023 civil case.
In that Manhattan case, Trump was found liable for "sexual abuse," not rape.
1 / 22Charlie Kirk remembered in memorials: Conservative activist was shot while speaking in UtahSupporters visit a memorial for Charlie Kirk at the Turning Point Headquarters in Phoenix on Sept. 11, 2025.'Involvement of lawmakers puts a heavier thumb on the scale'
First Amendment experts say a crackdown by members of the government on free speech poses serious and direct risks to the public.
Steinbaugh and Eugene Volokh, a First Amendment scholar and professor of law emeritus at the University of California, Los Angeles School of Law, both pointed to Bondi's misrepresentation of hate speech as legally unprotected and the FCC's role in Kimmel's suspension.
"It's not good when the attorney general of the United States threads inaccurate legal analysis to the public," Volokh said.
Bondi later clarified that the Department of Justice would target hate speech that leads to violence.
Steinbaug said also he had lost count of the number of U.S. Senators calling for the termination of public employees, "and that is surprising and new and worrying."
"It's one thing for members of the public to be calling for people to be fired or punished for what they say. That may be censorious, but it is part of the political dialogue," Steinbaugh said. "The involvement of lawmakers puts a heavier thumb on the scale, because they wield not just the power of social persuasion or pressure, but they are invoking the authority of government."
Steinbaugh and Volokh said that sort of government pressure also happened under the Biden administration, which wanted social media companies to remove comments related to COVID-19.
Steinbaugh said he was stunned over how quickly the nation moved on from Kirk's assassination "to attempting to suppress more speech" and how Trump administration officials were involving themselves in such efforts.
"It … really gives the appearance they are trying to suppress protected speech, and doing so intentionally," Steinbaugh said.
"The Republican Party is not going to hold the executive branch forever. And you can very easily see the federal government (and future) Democratic officeholders doing the exact same thing," he said.
Money talks: Comedians face pressure as business mergers loom
Kimmel's cancellation follows a similar pattern of fellow late-night show hosts being scrutinized amid networks' high-dollar deals.
Earlier this year, the "Late Show with Stephen Colbert" was given a May 2026 end date after CBS announced plans to cancel the show.
The announcement came just days after CBS' parent company, Paramount, reached a multimillion-dollar settlement with Trump. The company was also seeking FCC approval for a major merger with Skydance, which was approved a week after Colbert's cancellation announcement.
ABC is in a similar situation. Nexstar Media Group, one of the largest local TV operators in the country, is near the end of a $6.2 billion merger with Tegna, another media company. The deal will require FCC approval.
Nexstar operates a large number of ABC affiliate stations in markets across the country. Its merger is drawing monopoly concerns, as the deal could increase its local TV ownership to more than 39% of US households, according to Business Insider.
After ABC suspended Kimmel's show, Sinclair Broadcasting Group also weighed in, saying the company would replace the comedy show's timeslot Sept. 19 with a tribute "in remembrance of Charlie Kirk."
The special will air at all Sinclair stations and be offered to ABC affiliates nationwide.
Sinclair Vice Chair Jason Smith said the company "appreciated" Carr's statements, which he said "highlights the critical need for the FCC to take immediate regulatory action to address control held over local broadcasters by the big national networks."
Smith said Sinclar will not return Kimmel to their channels until formal discussion with ABC — and even asked that Kimmel apologize and make a "meaningful" personal donation to the Kirk family and TPUSA.
Taylor Seely is a First Amendment reporter at The Arizona Republic / azcentral.com. Angele Latham is a First Amendment reporter at The Tennessean in Nashville.
The USA TODAY Network's coverage of First Amendment issues is funded through a collaboration between the Freedom Forum and Journalism Funding Partners. Funders do not provide editorial input.
This article originally appeared on USA TODAY: First Amendment advocates worry after ABC pulled Kimmel's show
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