


Sen. Rand Paul (R-KY) rebuked FCC Chairman Brendan Carr on Sunday for his comments leading up to Jimmy Kimmel‘s suspension from ABC.
Kimmel’s show was suspended “indefinitely” after the late-night host falsely claimed that the suspect in Charlie Kirk‘s assassination was part of the “MAGA gang.” The comments did not go unnoticed from Carr, who suggested that he could take action against networks that don’t “operate in the public interest.”
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Paul, who has broke with the Trump administration before, most notably over President Donald Trump’s “big, beautiful, bill,” called Carr’s remarks “absolutely inappropriate” on Sunday.
“Brendan Carr has got no business weighing in on this,” Paul said on NBC News’s Meet the Press. “The government’s got no business in it, and the FCC was wrong to weigh in. And I’ll fight any, any, any attempt by the government to get involved with speech. I will fight.”
The Kentucky senator, however, called Kimmel’s comments “despicable” and speculated that ABC’s suspension could’ve been due to the comedian’s unpopularity.
“I mean, this is television for goodness sakes. You have to sell sponsorships. You have to sell commercials, and if you’re losing money, you can be fired,” Paul said.
Kimmel’s suspension last week led to a larger free speech debate in the country, with critics claiming that the late-night host was targeted by the Trump administration, while others maintain that Carr didn’t actually go after Kimmel.
Regardless, Trump has consistently lobbed threats at networks in his second term, which has included calling for them to lose their licenses in some cases.
On Saturday, Trump appeared to dig in on that threat amid the controversy over Kimmel, saying “dishonest” networks that “give you 97% bad publicity” should be grounds for losing a license.
ABC’S JONATHAN KARL INSISTS KIRK’S ASSASSINATION ‘WASN’T POLITICAL’
The president also said Kimmel was suspended because of his lack of “talent.”
“I think Jimmy Kimmel’s terrible,” Trump said. “Take a look at this guy, his ratings. That’s what got Jimmy Kimmel out. He was terrible.”