Overview

• ABC said Kimmel’s show is preempted indefinitely after major affiliate groups Nexstar and Sinclair announced they would not air it within hours of Carr urging broadcasters to “take action.”
• Carr linked affiliates’ licenses to “public interest” obligations and warned of consequences, prompting legal scholars to cite the Supreme Court’s 2024 NRA v. Vullo ruling that threats to induce private censorship can violate the First Amendment.
• Republican Sen. Ted Cruz castigated Carr’s remarks as “mafioso” tactics even as President Donald Trump praised the suspension and defended the FCC chair; FCC Commissioner Anna Gomez condemned ABC’s response as corporate capitulation.
• Public protests erupted outside Disney and ABC facilities, and Sacramento police said shots were fired at a building housing an ABC affiliate as stations and staff reported threats.
• Reporting highlights Disney’s and affiliates’ regulatory exposure—including Disney’s recent FTC settlement, DOJ scrutiny and ESPN’s NFL Network deal, and Nexstar’s pending Tegna acquisition—while former Disney CEO Michael Eisner criticized the decision as yielding to intimidation.