Federal Communications Commission Chairman Brendan Carr sat down with conservative pundit Benny Johnson on his podcast, where he threatened action against late-night talk show host Jimmy Kimmel, ABC, and Disney for misleading audiences by falsely claiming that Charlie Kirk’s assassin was a MAGA conservative.
Kirk, a conservative activist and founder of Turning Point USA, was shot and killed during an on-campus event last Wednesday at Utah Valley University by 22-year-old Tyler Robinson.
Carr blasted Kimmel’s comments about the shooter’s supposed political leanings as “truly sick,” arguing the host should be immediately suspended from ABC. He further suggested the remarks could even put the network’s broadcast license at risk.
During the interview, Carr said the FCC has a “strong case” to hold Disney, ABC, and Kimmel accountable for spreading politically motivated disinformation.
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“This is a very, very serious issue right now for Disney. 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,” Carr told Johnson. “They have a license granted by us at the FCC, and that comes with it an obligation to operate in the public interest.”
“There are calls for Kimmel to be fired. I think you could certainly see a path forward for suspension over this,” he continued. “The FCC could make a strong argument that this is sort of an intentional effort to mislead the American people about a very core fundamental fact, a very important matter.”
“Disney needs to see some change here. But the individual licensed stations that are taking their content, it’s time for them to step up and say this garbage, if that’s what continues to come down the pipe, isn’t something that serves the needs of our local communities. The status quo is obviously not acceptable,” Carr concluded.
Kimmel’s remarks are not an isolated case. Many left-wing figures in the media, government, and broader culture have attempted to link Robinson to the MAGA movement, largely because he was raised in a conservative Christian household. But, as critics note, having conservative parents doesn’t mean Robinson shared those values.
In fact, evidence and statements from family members suggest Robinson had become more politically active in recent years, developing a passion for transgender rights—a shift influenced by his romantic relationship with a transgender man he lived with at the time of the shooting.
