The Federal Communications Commission is once again attempting to silence those who mock President Donald Trump. FCC Chair Brendan Carr is reportedly considering a review of Disney's broadcast licenses, according to Semafor. A source confirmed the report to NBC, noting that in an unprecedented move, the FCC plans to order Disney's eight owned-and-operated stations to renew their broadcast licenses ahead of schedule. The licenses are not due for renewal until at least 2028.
Retribution for a Joke
The threat appears to be clear retribution for a joke made by late-night host Jimmy Kimmel about Trump's age, in which he described first lady Melania Trump as having the glow of "an expectant widow." Days later, an armed man opened fire at the White House Correspondents' Association dinner that the president was attending. This prompted Melania Trump to demand that Disney's subsidiary ABC fire Kimmel. Kimmel has insisted that the joke was "obviously ... about their age difference."
In his monologue on Monday, Kimmel did not back down, describing the joke about the first couple as "a very light roast about the fact that he's almost 80 and she's younger than I am." He added, "It was not, by any stretch of the definition, a call to assassination. And they know that. I've been very vocal for many years, speaking out against gun violence in particular."
Kimmel's Response
Kimmel acknowledged the first lady's stressful experience over the weekend, noting that "probably every weekend is pretty stressful in that house." He also agreed that hateful and violent rhetoric should be rejected, but suggested a conversation with her husband about it. White House communications director Steven Cheung responded by calling Kimmel a "shit human being" on social media and demanding that ABC "fire him immediately."
Kimmel's show was briefly pulled off the air last year after threats by Carr, following a comment about the murder of right-wing activist Charlie Kirk that angered conservatives. At the time, Kimmel described Carr as "Trump's little ferret" who "is doing everything he can to shut us up the 'easy way or the hard way.'" He added, "It's his latest attack on free speech, and it's a joke."
FCC Investigations
As FCC chair, Carr has initiated formal investigations of every major broadcast network in the country, with one lone exception: Fox, which leans overwhelmingly to the right and is owned by Trump ally Rupert Murdoch. This selective enforcement raises concerns about the politicization of the FCC.
