Federal Communications Chairman Brendan Carr has committed to appearing before the Senate Commerce Committee following remarks about Jimmy Kimmel that set off a free speech firestorm last month.
The official will testify in front of the Senator Ted Cruz-chaired committee at an unspecified date, a committee representative confirmed. Semafor was the first to report the news.
Carr has been in the news for weeks over his remarks about late-night host Kimmel. Following some controversial comments Kimmel made about the assassination of conservative activist Charlie Kirk, the FCC chair appeared to threaten the licenses of ABC affiliates that broadcast Jimmy Kimmel Live! in a Sept. 17 appearance on a conservative YouTube show.
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“When we see stuff like this, look, we can do this the easy way or the hard way. These companies can find ways to change conduct, on Kimmel, or there’s going to be additional work for the FCC ahead,” he said.
Cruz, a Republican, criticized the remarks made by Trump appointee Carr, calling them “dangerous as hell” on his podcast. Likening Carr’s comments to that of a “mafioso,” he added, “I think it is unbelievably dangerous for government to put itself in the position of saying we’re going to decide what speech we like and what we don’t, and we’re going to threaten to take you off air if we don’t like what you’re saying.”
After Carr’s Sept. 17 comments, two major owners of local TV stations and ABC affiliates — Nexstar and Sinclair Broadcast Group — said they would preempt Kimmel’s show. Disney, which owns ABC, was the next shoe to drop, saying that the network would “indefinitely” suspend Kimmel. Complicating matters, Nexstar is awaiting FCC approval of a more than $6 billion deal to acquire competitor Tegna.
Public backlash and even a protest in front of Disney’s studio in Burbank followed, and Kimmel was eventually reinstated on ABC and soon after on its affiliate stations.
On Sept. 22, amid the fracas, Carr denied that he meant to threaten affiliate TV licenses with his comments.