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4h ago

ABC Suspends Jimmy Kimmel After FCC Warning as Experts Cite Orbán-Style Pressure

Scholars describe the suspension as evidence of a campaign that leverages government power to steer coverage.

FILE - President Donald Trump meets with Hungarian Prime Minister Viktor Orbán in the Oval Office of the White House, May 13, 2019, in Washington. (AP Photo/Evan Vucci, File)
Hungarian Prime Minister Viktor Orban.
JIMMY KIMMEL LIVE! "Jimmy Kimmel Live!" airs every weeknight at 11:35 p.m. ET and features a diverse lineup of guests that include celebrities, athletes, musical acts, comedians and human interest subjects, along with comedy bits and a house band. The guests for Monday, September 15 included John Oliver ("Last Week Tonight with John Oliver"), Frank Grillo ("Tulsa King"), and musical guest Zac Brown Band. (Disney/Randy Holmes)  JOHN OLIVER, JIMMY KIMMEL (Photo by Randy Holmes/Disney via Getty Images)
FILE - President Donald Trump welcomes Hungarian Prime Minister Viktor Orban to the White House in Washington, on May 13, 2019. (AP Photo/Manuel Balce Ceneta, File)

Overview

  • Disney-owned ABC sidelined Jimmy Kimmel after remarks about the assassination of Charlie Kirk, hours after FCC Chair Brendan Carr warned, “We can do this the easy way or the hard way.”
  • President Donald Trump praised the network’s move on Truth Social, calling it the right decision.
  • Carr has opened investigations into CBS and probes into public broadcasting, and major affiliates including Nexstar and Sinclair preempted Kimmel’s show while navigating FCC-sensitive business issues.
  • Media scholars and watchdogs say the tactics mirror Hungarian Prime Minister Viktor Orbán’s model of using legal, financial, and regulatory levers to induce self-censorship and consolidate influence.
  • Recent corporate settlements with Trump by Disney/ABC and Paramount/CBS, cited by analysts and civil-liberties groups like the ACLU, underscore concerns about pressure that threatens First Amendment protections.