September 18, 2025
Trump urges FCC to consider revoking broadcast licenses after ABC suspends Jimmy Kimmel Live!
President threatens ABC reporter who asked about DOJ criminalizing speech
🏛️Government📰Media Literacy
On Sept. 17–18, 2025, ABC and its parent Disney suspended Jimmy Kimmel Live!
after a controversial monologue. FCC Chair Brendan Carr publicly warned broadcasters that their public‑interest obligations could trigger reviews.
President Trump told reporters aboard Air Force One that networks giving him ''bad publicity'' might lose licenses and that the decision ''will be up to Brendan Carr.'' Several station groups, including Nexstar, preempted the program amid the backlash.
Legal experts and civil‑liberties groups say license revocation would require lengthy proceedings and raises serious First Amendment concerns.
On Sept. 18, 2025, President Trump told reporters aboard Air Force One that broadcasters that give him 'bad publicity' could face license revocation and said the choice 'will be up to 
Brendan Carr.'
ABC and the Walt Disney Company suspended Jimmy Kimmel Live! beginning Sept. 17, 2025, while the company reviewed Kimmel's monologue about the killing of Charlie Kirk.
FCC Chair Brendan Carr publicly criticized the monologue and said broadcasters have licensing obligations; he said the agency was 'not done yet' with changes in the media landscape.
Station groups including Nexstar said they would preempt Kimmel's show 'for the foreseeable future' amid regulatory and political pressure.
Legal scholars note that the FCC cannot summarily strip licenses. Revocation or non‑renewal involves formal enforcement or administrative proceedings that typically take years.
Major assertions in the original draft about multimillion‑dollar settlements, direct orders from the Department of State on visas, and specific vote counts or affiliate totals lack credible sourcing.
🏛️Government📰Media Literacy
People, bills, and sources
Donald Trump
President
Brendan Carr
FCC Chair
ABC / The Walt Disney Company
Broadcaster / parent company
Jimmy Kimmel
Late‑night host
Nexstar Media Group
Local station group
What You Can Do
1
understanding
Monitor FCC filings and notices
Track formal FCC enforcement actions, consent decrees, and merger review filings to distinguish political rhetoric from agency action.
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2
monitoring
Follow corporate statements
Read official company statements from networks and station owners to verify who made programming decisions and why.
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3
civic action
Watch litigation filings
Track lawsuits and ACLU or other filings challenging any regulatory or administrative steps that affect editorial content.
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