Sen. Gary Peters (D-MI) condemned Federal Communications Commission (FCC) Chairman Brendan Carr for suggesting the agency could take action against ABC and its affiliates over comments made by Jimmy Kimmel, saying the threats violate the First Amendment and demanding Carr provide written responses by the end of the week.
Peters tweeted Monday that it is “unacceptable for the FCC to threaten a media organization because the President does not like the content,” attaching a letter to Carr that criticizes remarks he made about ABC, Disney, and affiliates over late-night host Jimmy Kimmel. Peters’ letter, dated September 18, 2025, accuses Carr of weaponizing the FCC to censor political speech and warned that such actions “fly in the face of the First Amendment.”
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Carr, in a podcast interview last week, suggested the FCC could revoke broadcast licenses of ABC affiliates following Kimmel’s comments in the aftermath of the assassination of Turning Point USA founder Charlie Kirk. Carr said broadcasters had a responsibility to operate in the “public interest” and warned, “We can do this the easy way or the hard way,” remarks that drew backlash from lawmakers in both parties. Nexstar, which owns ABC affiliates and has a merger pending before the FCC, soon announced it would remove Kimmel from the air, and Disney later suspended his show.
Peters’ letter argued the FCC under Carr is “being weaponized” to silence disfavored political commentary, despite Carr’s past public defense of comedians and political satire as free expression. Peters wrote that Carr previously rejected government censorship as a threat to democracy but is now abandoning those principles. “Under your leadership, the FCC appears to be discarding Congress’s clear directive in the Communications Act to ensure broadcasters act in the ‘public interest’ — and is instead requiring them to act in ‘Trump’s interest,’” the letter stated.
Jimmy Kimmel speaks during the Pre-Grammy Gala on Saturday, February 1, 2025, at the Beverly Hilton Hotel in Beverly Hills, California (Richard Shotwell/Invision/AP)
The letter also referenced Carr’s past comments defending free speech, including social media posts from 2019, where he wrote that “political satire circumvents traditional gatekeepers & helps hold those in power accountable.” Peters pressed Carr to clarify how the FCC is defining “public interest” and whether the agency has adopted new ideological or political standards. He also asked Carr to disclose any communications between FCC staff and Disney or ABC about Kimmel between September 15 and 22 and to explain what was meant by doing things “the easy way or the hard way.”
Carr’s statements have generated bipartisan concern. Sen. Rand Paul (R-KY) remarked on NBC’s Meet the Press that Carr’s comments were “absolutely inappropriate,” insisting “the government has no business in it.” Sen. Ted Cruz (R-TX) likened Carr’s language to mafia-style threats, labeling the approach “dangerous as hell” on his Verdict podcast, while Senate Democrats urged Cruz in his role as Commerce Committee chairman to hold a hearing on the matter. President Donald Trump, however, defended Carr, telling reporters, “I think Brendan Carr is a great American patriot.”
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The dispute follows Disney and Nexstar’s suspension of Kimmel’s program after he suggested Kirk’s assassin might have been a Trump supporter, a claim contradicted by evidence indicating the suspect was influenced by left-wing ideologies. Nexstar described the remarks as “offensive and insensitive at a critical time.” Carr praised the decision as “the right thing,” saying it reflected broadcasters’ obligations to community values.
The controversy has also drawn attention from cultural and political figures. Comedian Tim Heidecker called Kimmel’s suspension “state-sponsored censorship,” while ABC’s The View cohost Whoopi Goldberg accused Trump of misunderstanding the First Amendment.
Peters closed his letter by demanding Carr “immediately stop threatening media organizations due to their programming and return to the FCC’s mission of ensuring all Americans have access to affordable, efficient communication services.” He requested Carr’s written answers to the Senate by September 25.
