Overview

• Speaking at the Concordia Annual Summit, Brendan Carr said ABC sidelined Jimmy Kimmel because of weak ratings, not federal intervention.
• Carr previously told podcaster Benny Johnson that companies could act on Kimmel or face “additional work for the FCC,” a comment critics cast as coercive.
• ABC suspended “Jimmy Kimmel Live!” indefinitely after major affiliate groups including Nexstar and Sinclair moved to preempt the program.
• Republican senators Ted Cruz and Rand Paul criticized Carr’s posture toward the show, and Democratic leaders have urged his resignation and an inspector general inquiry.
• The White House defended the suspension as a ratings issue, while industry voices such as Howard Stern condemned what they described as political intimidation and corporate capitulation.