Overview

• Nexstar and Sinclair said they would stop airing the program after FCC Chair Brendan Carr urged stations to drop it, and ABC then suspended the show nationwide with no return date.
• Carr warned broadcasters “we can do this the easy way or the hard way,” floated investigations and fines, and later told CNBC the commission is “not done yet” holding stations to its view of the public interest.
• President Donald Trump praised the suspension and suggested networks that give him negative coverage should lose licenses, even as legal experts note licenses are held by local stations and cannot be revoked for disfavored speech.
• Writers, actors and musicians’ unions, free-speech groups and entertainers condemned the suspension, late-night hosts publicly backed Kimmel, and protesters gathered outside the Hollywood studio.
• A source cited by multiple outlets said Disney CEO Bob Iger and Disney Entertainment Co-Chair Dana Walden approved the suspension, while Sinclair signaled the show would not return to its stations without an apology and other steps.