The Malignant Fascist's FCC Obergruppenführer Brendan Carr, aided and abetted by cowardly corporate right- wing weasels, has succeeded in silencing, for the moment, another critic of his cult leader and the cult:
ABC announced on Wednesday that it was pulling Jimmy Kimmel’s late-night talk show off the air “indefinitely” after Brendan Carr, the Federal Communications Commission chair, criticized comments Kimmel made earlier this week about the motives of the man accused of killing conservative activist Charlie Kirk.
Carr also suggested the FCC could move to revoke ABC affiliate licenses as a way of forcing Disney, the network’s parent company, to punish Kimmel.
The controversy started Monday when Kimmel questioned the ideological leanings ascribed to Kirk’s accused killer, Tyler Robinson, and said the “MAGA gang” — i.e., supporters of President Trump and his “Make America great again” slogan — was trying to “score political points” by calling Robinson a left-wing radical.
“The MAGA Gang [is] desperately trying to characterize this kid who murdered Charlie Kirk as anything other than one of them and doing everything they can to score political points from it,” Kimmel said. “In between the finger-pointing, there was grieving.”
That's what got Kimmel suspended. The article goes on to prove Kimmel's point:
In the immediate aftermath of last Wednesday’s shooting, some speculated about whether Robinson might have sympathized with far-right critics of Kirk. Utah Gov. Spencer Cox, a Republican, has since said the shooter was “deeply indoctrinated with leftist ideology,” and prosecutors have released text messages in which Robinson allegedly wrote that he had “had enough of [Kirk’s] hatred.”
Speaking to right-wing podcaster Benny Johnson on Wednesday, Carr characterized Kimmel’s remarks as “the sickest conduct possible,” then said, “We can do this the easy way or the hard way.”
“These companies can find ways to change conduct and take actions on Kimmel,” said Carr, a Trump appointee, “or there’s going to be additional work for the FCC ahead.”
Carr added that “the FCC could make a strong argument that this is sort of an intentional effort to mislead the American people about a very core fundamental fact” — noting that broadcasters, including ABC, “have a license granted by us at the FCC, and that comes with it an obligation to operate in the public interest.”
On Wednesday evening, Nexstar, a major operator of ABC-affiliated stations, said it would not broadcast Jimmy Kimmel Live! “for the foreseeable future” because it “strongly objects to recent comments made by Mr. Kimmel concerning the killing of Charlie Kirk.”
Nexstar added that it would “replace the show with other programming in its ABC-affiliated markets.”
Shortly after Nexstar’s announcement, an ABC spokesperson told CNN that “Jimmy Kimmel Live will be pre-empted indefinitely.” The spokesperson declined to share any further details... (our emphasis)
Carr had critical leverage over Nexstar, and via them Disney/ABC, because as David Sirota pointed out,
Nexstar's decision to remove Jimmy Kimmel comes as the company is asking the Trump administration for merger approval and also lobbying the Trump FCC to end local ownership rules so that the company can buy up more markets.
Carr used the same bullying tactic to get Paramount/CBS to end the Colbert show because Paramount didn't want him to block an upcoming merger with (son of MAGA bankroller Larry Ellison's) Skydance Media. This is a toxic combination of corporate self- interest/ cowardice/ fascist ownership and fascist political leveraging that has been effective in the few high- profile instances it's been employed so far. Another right- wing operator of local stations, Sinclair, has already piled on with criticism of Kimmel and actually want him to make a contribution to Kirk's Turning Point PAC to show proper solicitude!!
His master was pleased with another critic being silenced (for now) and wants more:
If you're wondering what it was like in 1930's Germany, now you know.
BONUS: Some industry reactions --
"What we have signed on to – painful as it may be at times – is the freeing agreement to disagree," the Writers Guild of America West and Writers Guild of America East said in a joint statement. "Shame on those in government who forget this founding truth. As for our employers, our words have made you rich. Silencing us impoverishes the whole world." [snip]
SAG-AFTRA, the union representing actors, condemned the scrapping of the show, saying "the decision to suspend airing Jimmy Kimmel Live! is the type of suppression and retaliation that endangers everyone’s freedoms," while actor Ben Stiller wrote "this isn't right" on social media site X. [snip]
The American Federation of Musicians said that "Trump's FCC identified speech it did not like and threatened ABC with extreme reprisals. This is state censorship."
After years of complaining about cancel culture, the current administration has taken it to a new and dangerous level by routinely threatening regulatory action against media companies unless they muzzle or fire reporters and commentators it doesn’t like.
🇺🇸🤗 Seventy-one years ago, I was born in a healthy democracy. I was raised by parents who taught me the importance of a healthy democracy. I went through public education (all the way to an MA) in a healthy democracy. And on and on in a democracy of healthy ups and downs.
ReplyDelete😢 I am now depressed/horrified that I may die in an incompetently-run, hate-filled, economically-destroyed, battle-scarred shooting gallery of a failed state!
🤨 I'll keeping fighting it and protesting it and speaking out, but I'm now feeling the fight will take longer than my lifespan will allow and I'll never know the ending! ☹️