After Jimmy Kimmel’s Suspension, FCC Chair Takes Aim at The View

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I’m really concerned about ABC suddenly pulling Jimmy Kimmel’s show! It feels like a clear attempt at censorship by the Trump Administration. It seems the FCC Chair, Brendan Carr, basically pressured ABC to cancel the show, hinting at potential fines or even losing their broadcasting license if they didn’t. It’s incredibly troubling that someone in power could try to silence a comedian like that, and it just doesn’t sit right with me.

Democratic politicians have voiced strong disapproval of the Trump Administration seemingly influencing ABC News, demanding the removal of a network executive and proposing new legislation to better safeguard free speech.

However, the Administration seems even more determined to follow a plan experts have called an attempt to control the media, and Commissioner Carr might already be focusing on a new target.

I was pretty shocked to hear the President talking about potentially punishing TV networks for reporting things he doesn’t like! He’s been complaining for weeks about ABC and NBC, even suggesting they could lose their licenses. It seems like he doesn’t quite have the power to actually do that, though, which is a bit of a relief.

Carr proposed a technical strategy to address Trump’s complaints about media coverage. On Thursday’s episode of *The Scott Jennings Podcast*, he mentioned the commission might investigate whether ABC’s *The View* should be required to follow the ‘equal time’ rule.

FCC Commissioner Brendan Carr suggested the agency review whether shows like *The View* genuinely qualify as news programs. He believes this review is important because legitimate news programs are exempt from rules requiring equal airtime for different viewpoints, as set by Congress.

I recently spoke with FCC Commissioner Nathan Carr, and the conversation touched on a really interesting point. There’s a lot of pressure right now, especially from Republicans and those on the far right, to really come down hard on liberal viewpoints. We’ve even seen people losing their jobs or facing trouble at work because of what they’ve posted online about Kirk. I asked Carr if the FCC was looking at other ABC shows, specifically *The View*, and whether they might be violating the ‘public interest’ rule – you know, the standard that says broadcasters have a responsibility to serve the public. It seems like the FCC is definitely keeping an eye on things, and the definition of ‘public interest’ is becoming a hot topic.

Jennings questioned whether other ABC shows, particularly *The View*, might be more problematic than Jimmy Kimmel’s recent segment. He asked if those programs were engaging in similar behavior, and if it was potentially more severe.

The hosts of *The View* didn’t talk about Kimmel’s suspension on Thursday, but they had previously spoken out against the death of Kirk and all forms of political violence.

Following criticism from *The View*’s Joy Behar regarding Donald Trump’s accusation that Barack Obama committed treason, the White House reportedly threatened to cancel the show, similar to what happened with CBS’s *The Late Show with Stephen Colbert*. Behar’s comments referenced the January 6th Capitol riot and suggested Trump’s accusations stemmed from jealousy. Notably, the show’s panelists didn’t discuss the White House’s threat at the time.

What is the ‘equal time’ rule?

As a movie critic, I often think about fairness, and that extends to political advertising on the airwaves. There’s a federal rule, stemming from the Communications Act of 1934, that essentially demands equal play for all candidates. Here’s how it works: if a radio or TV station decides to sell advertising time to one candidate, they’re legally obligated to offer the *same* opportunity – the same amount of time, at the same rate – to all other candidates vying for the same office. It’s all about keeping things level during election season.

In 1959, Congress changed the law to allow news programs, interviews, documentaries, and live coverage of news events to air without following certain rules. A year later, in 1960, Congress temporarily set aside the rule requiring equal airtime for candidates to ensure coverage of the Kennedy-Nixon presidential debates, as these weren’t initially considered exempt. By 1975, the FCC decided that debates *were* considered live news coverage, and the Supreme Court later agreed that broadcasters didn’t have to give equal time to all candidates during a debate.

The Federal Communications Commission (FCC) can revoke a broadcaster’s license if they repeatedly fail to follow the rule requiring equal airtime for political candidates, as outlined in a 1971 law. However, the FCC has gradually created more exceptions to this rule for news and entertainment programs that include genuine news segments, interviews, or discussions. Additionally, in 1987, the FCC eliminated the ‘fairness doctrine,’ which previously required broadcasters to present different sides of important public issues.

FCC precedent has generally considered late-night programs to be legitimate news shows, according to Commissioner Carr. He suggested that this could potentially apply to *The View*, though he expressed some doubt.

Last year, Carr faulted NBC’s *Saturday Night Live* for having Vice President Kamala Harris as a guest before the 2024 election. In response, the network allowed Trump to speak directly to viewers during coverage of a Nascar race.

After Donald Trump appeared on Saturday Night Live in 2015, NBC had to provide airtime to other Republican candidates as well. If the Federal Communications Commission decides the show *The View* is no longer exempt from rules requiring equal airtime for all candidates, it could affect many talk shows on TV and radio, potentially impacting a space that has increasingly become dominated by conservative voices.

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2025-09-19 11:06