- Trump calls for TV networks’ licences to be revoked over coverage bias and supports FCC action
- ABC suspends Jimmy Kimmel’s show after controversial comments about Charlie Kirk’s murder
- FCC warns broadcasters to act in public interest or risk licence revocation, despite constitutional limits
US President Donald Trump has suggested that some television networks should have their broadcasting licences revoked as he supported America’s Federal Communications Commission (FCC) in its dispute over the suspension of ABC host Jimmy Kimmel.
According to Eko Hot Blog, the Disney-owned ABC network announced on Wednesday that it was suspending Kimmel’s show indefinitely following backlash over his comments about the recent murder of conservative personnel, Charlie Kirk.
EDITOR’S PICK
- ‘I Won’t Interfere in Fubara’s Governance’ – Wike Vows
- Tinubu to Visit Buhari’s Family in Kaduna, Attend Yari’s Son’s Wedding
- First Lady Gifts N50,000 Each to 500 Women in Enugu
On Monday, Kimmel implied that the suspect was a supporter of former President Trump’s “Make America Great Again” (MAGA) movement.
However, Utah authorities had stated that the alleged shooter was influenced by “leftist ideology.”
ABC took Jimmy Kimmel Live! off the air after the FCC threatened regulatory action in response to the host’s remarks.
Speaking to reporters aboard Air Force One on Thursday while returning from a state visit to the UK, Trump said,
“I read somewhere that 97% of the networks were against me, giving negative coverage, yet I still won all seven swing states easily in the last election.”
He added, “They only give me bad publicity. They have licences. Maybe those licences should be taken away.”
In his Monday monologue, Kimmel accused the “MAGA gang” of trying to distance the alleged killer from their group and accused them of “trying to score political points” from the tragedy.
He also mocked Trump’s reaction to Kirk’s death, comparing it to “how a four-year-old mourns a goldfish.”
Kimmel had also condemned the shooting on Instagram and sent condolences to the Kirk family.
FCC chairman Brendan Carr told Fox News on Thursday that Kimmel’s suspension was not the end of the FCC’s efforts to hold broadcasters accountable.
He said, “We will keep holding broadcasters responsible to the public interest. If they don’t like it, they can return their licences to the FCC.”
The FCC regulates licensed local broadcast stations, including ABC affiliates, and can sanction them for serious violations.
However, its power is limited over cable networks like Fox or MSNBC, and it has no authority over most podcasts or streaming services.
Legal experts have pointed out that the US Constitution’s First Amendment protects free speech and would prevent the FCC from legally revoking licences based solely on political disagreements.
Joe Strazullo, a former writer for Jimmy Kimmel Live! from 2015 to 2021, told the BBC in Los Angeles that the team was fearful about the future.
“It’s heartbreaking to see the threat of them losing their jobs,” he said. “No one knows exactly what’s happening, and they are trying to sort things out behind the scenes.”
Kimmel’s suspension followed a decision by Nexstar Media, one of the largest TV station owners in the US, to stop airing his show indefinitely.
Nexstar described Kimmel’s comments about Kirk as “offensive and insensitive”during a critical time for national political dialogue.
