Cruz Likens F.C.C. Chair’s ‘Threat’ to That of a Mafia Boss
There has been major discourse in recent weeks relating to the assassination of Charlie Kirk, the subsequent pressure on ABC to cancel Jimmy Kimmel, and the broader implications of these events on freedom of speech in the United States.
The assassination of Kirk sent shockwaves in the U.S. last week. In a political climate of polarization, acts of violence such as this have been increasing. A Princeton study measured attacks fitting in a pattern of political violence in 2024 and noted a 74% increase just from 2022.
However another aspect of the murder that is worth paying attention to, has been Kirk’s status as a martyr for the MAGA movement. In a video released by the White House, he was referred to as a martyr. His death inspired white nationalist riots, and at his vigils, calls for retribution have been made.
On Monday, late night talk show host Kimmel, who has gone after Trump and Republicans in the past, made comments regarding Kirk’s murder.
Kimmel disputed the narrative that the killer was a left-wing radical, and made fun of a clip of Trump where, when asked about Kirk’s death, Trump pivoted to talking about ongoing White House construction. He also pointed out controversial comments made by Kirk himself during his life.
On Wednesday, Federal Communications Commission (FCC) chair Brendan Carr went on the Benny Johnson show, a right-wing political podcast, hosted by Benny Johnson, a right-wing influencer and Trump supporter.
Carr suggested that the government can start looking at licenses of companies that air shows critical of Trump. This was a thinly veiled threat to local affiliates of major networks. Network channels like NBC, CBS, FOX, and in this case ABC, rely on local affiliates across the country to broadcast their programming. These affiliates require licenses by the federal government through the FCC. That same day, ABC announced the suspension of Jimmy Kimmel Live, Kimmel’s late night show.
The suspension made shockwaves as many put two and two together and criticised the Trump administration for a blatant attack on freedom of speech. Many also pointed to the hypocrisy as Trump’s MAGA movement often attacked “cancel culture” in the past in cases where people were fired from their jobs over comments they made that were racist, sexist, homophobic, and such.
The argument on the political right was always that this was an attack on freedom of speech yet now they are calling for their political opponents to be fired. Trump defended the cancellation saying that Kimmel was losing ratings and was not talented. Later at Air Force One, Trump took it further, suggesting that the FCC and Carr begin looking into the licenses of the networks with evening shows that criticise him.
This comes about two months after the Late Show with Stephen Colbert on CBS, another Trump critical late night show was cancelled. The reason for the cancellation is often speculated to be that the government and the FCC threatened to block the merger of Paramount (CBS’s parent company) and Skydance media, something they approved one week after Colbert’s show was cancelled.
The tipping point for Colbert was him criticising Paramount for settling with Trump over a lawsuit over one of Paramount’s shows, 60 Minutes, over editing an interview with Kamala Harris who Trump ran against.
One Republican did come out against Carr’s comments, though not because he was a fan of Kimmel or wasn’t happy he got fired.
Rather, Texas Senator Ted Cruz warned that if the Democrats take back office, they could use the same tactics on the right. Cruz said he thinks Carr is a “good guy” and he was “thrilled” that Kimmel was fired. However he argued that Carr’s comments were dangerous and could be used against the right in the future. Cruz compared the tactics to intimidation tactics used by the mafia.
Senator Thom Tillis backed Cruz. He called Carr’s comments unacceptable. It is worth acknowledging Tills is not running next year giving him more freedom in what he can say as he does not need to worry about regaining Trump’s endorsement.
Jerry Moran, a Senator from Kansas openly said “the conservative position is free speech is free speech, and we better be very careful about any lines we cross in diminishing free speech.”
However Carr has one important defender, that is Trump himself. Trump said he disagreed with Cruz and thus most Republicans have toed the White House line.
And among right-wing media such as the podcast world, you had many supporters of Kimmel’s cancellation, with the likes of Clay Travis, Steven Crowder, Michael Knowles and others supporting the suspension. Others like Shapiro played both sides, saying that while he disliked Kimmel and is happy the show is gone, he does not want the FCC to threaten local affiliates, taking Cruz’s position that the same would happen if the Democrats win in 2028 and Fox affiliates would be targeted.
Arguably the most dangerous was Steve Bannon, who said the right was not going to debate the first amendment anymore, they were taking action. Bannon openly said the goal of the movement was removal of all major late night hosts, saying “2 down, 2 to go.”
While not mentioned, most people can reasonably infer he means Jimmy Fallon and Seth Meyers on NBC as those are the only other shows on Network Television, not cable. CBS only had Colbert’s Late Show which will end next year, ABC only had Kimmel, and now NBC’s two shows remain.
However, Kimmel did have some defenders. Scott Adams, creator of the comic strip Dilbert, who himself was fired for racist comments in 2023, said that while part of him wants revenge, that doesn’t mean he should pursue it. Akaash Singh meanwhile said it was funny watching the right “become the left” and that free speech was more under attack now than it ever was before.
Kimmel’s suspension sets a dangerous precedent as network television relies on local affiliates who receive licenses from the Federal Government. This was done back in 1934, with the intention of ensuring the media would accurately inform the public. However with the rise of the 24 hour news cycle, American society became more and more polarised over the years. The idea of the government suspending these over political reasons was unthinkable until now.
A product of this was the rise of political commentary shows, first on cable with shows like the Daily Show with Jon Stewart and the Colbert Report with Stephen Colbert on Comedy Central, before seeping into traditionally less political late night shows. Hosts like Kimmel, Colbert, and Meyers have also stepped into politics, especially as the rise of Trump has provided them significant material.
Yet as a result of this, just as much of the public, such as those in the MAGA movement have come to distrust “mainstream” media, this mistrust has translated to a distaste for late hosts in general. Additionally as television ratings decline overall, the political right has the excuse that these shows were bleeding ratings and cancelled for non-political reasons.
The intervention by the federal government in the media to this extent is something we saw before but mostly during times of major war (Civil War, World War I, World War II). Lincoln’s censorship of the press in the Civil War or the government targeting anti-war content during the world wars was done at times where the U.S. was in a grave crisis, when it was accepted that the government would take more power to ensure the national security of this country.
What Trump is doing now, is exploiting fear and panic during peace time, and seeking to institute controls the U.S. only had during war time, before many of the current precedents of civil liberties were set. If successful, he will set a new dangerous precedent, further eroding media freedom and giving future leaders the chance to seize more and more power even during times of peace.
This more interventionist streak disrupts a long period of relative media freedom, a period that it seems is crumbling more and more.
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