WASHINGTON – On Wednesday, Federal Communications Commission Chairman Brendan Carr is expected to face a Senate inquiry for the first time since his controversial move to pressure broadcasters into removing ABC’s late-night host, Jimmy Kimmel, from the airwaves. This decision has sparked bipartisan criticism and stirred concerns regarding potential government overreach in media affairs.
The Senate Commerce Committee will conduct an oversight hearing to question Carr, alongside the FCC’s other commissioners, Olivia Trusty and Anna M. Gomez. This marks the first time since 2020 that the full panel of FCC commissioners has appeared for such a hearing, despite the current vacancies on the five-member board.
Appointed by President Donald Trump last November to head the nation’s primary broadcasting authority, Carr has shown a strong alignment with the administration’s firm stance against media outlets perceived as adversarial. His tenure has seen the initiation of FCC investigations into major networks like ABC, CBS, and NBC News, as well as some local broadcasters.
During Trump’s second term, legal actions were taken against prominent publications such as The Wall Street Journal, The New York Times, and more recently, the BBC. Following Trump’s guidance, Congress approved the removal of $1.1 billion in funding allocated for public broadcasting earlier this year.
Carr’s call to action against Kimmel came earlier this year after the host made controversial comments regarding the assassination of conservative activist Charlie Kirk. Labeling Kimmel’s remarks as “truly sick,” Carr issued a stern warning to broadcasters, offering them a choice between compliance or facing consequences. Shortly thereafter, ABC announced Kimmel’s indefinite suspension.
Even Senate Commerce Committee Chairman Ted Cruz, who organized the upcoming hearing, was among the Republicans who voiced disapproval of Carr’s comments and actions at the time.
“I think it is unbelievably dangerous for government to put itself in the position of saying we’re going to decide what speech we like and what we don’t, and we’re going to threaten to take you off air if we don’t like what you’re saying,” Cruz said on his podcast, calling Carr’s comments “dangerous as hell.”
The hearing comes as Carr faces additional scrutiny from Democrats over media consolidation. Democratic Sen. Jacky Rosen, a member of the committee, joined other Democrats this week in urging Carr to closely examine Nexstar Media Group’s proposed acquisition of rival broadcaster Tegna.
In a letter sent Tuesday, the lawmakers warned the deal would further concentrate media power in the U.S. local television market.
“Regulatory approval of the conglomerate would likely raise prices for consumers, accelerate job losses, and weaken the independence and news coverage of local TV stations,” they wrote.
The transaction would require the FCC to loosen rules limiting how many stations a single company may own. Carr has said he is open to changing those ownership limits. Nexstar was one of two ABC affiliate owners that said they would preempt Kimmel’s show with local programming following his comments about Kirk.
Kimmel’s suspension came after his monologue included a reference to Kirk’s shooting and compared Trump’s grief to “how a 4-year-old mourns a goldfish.” The show returned to air less than a week after the indefinite suspension was announced.
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