Jimmy Kimmel joked about asking his fans for help again after the FCC and President Donald Trump took aim at the late night host. The last 12 months have seen both the government and the President of the United States look to take out personal grudges against Jimmy Kimmel.
The View also finds itself in the crosshairs of the FCC’s posturing here. Basically, the government is arguing that both late night and daytime talk shows don’t give enough time to people with conservative viewpoints. Commissioner Brendan Carr issued some guidance on changes to the “political equal time rules” that have stood since the mid-1990s.
For some background, Kimmel has long been a target of the current president and administration. Essentially, from the campaign trail until this very moment, Trump’s campaign pledged to “rein in” liberal media. Whether targeting perceived slights, or actual parodies that they found objectionable, Carr and his FCC hopefuls have followed the conservative blueprint to tamp down dissent to a letter. (All of this was forecast on social media in plain sight for anyone that was paying attention.)
How is the FCC threatening Jimmy Kimmel?
So, in essence we’re in a moment where the FCC and government writ large have found the lever to enact their plan to weaken broadcast institutions from the inside and out. The View and Jimmy Kimmel are going to have to hope for a massive fan and viewer backlash to push back on these new arguments from the FCC.
The FCC laid out their aims in writing here by The Hollywood Reporter. “Importantly, the FCC has not been presented with any evidence that the interview portion of any late night or daytime television talk show program on air presently would qualify for the bona fide news exemption,” they said. “Moreover, a program that is motivated by partisan purposes, for example, would not be entitled to an exemption under long-standing FCC precedent.”
Why is Jimmy Kimmel receiving FCC threats?
Mostly because Kimmel continues to run his late night show like a late night show. Is there a more succinct way to put that? Well, probably not. With the escalating attacks on Minnesotans by ICE, the late night show host has not been shying away from confrontation with the government as it continues different campaigns of Violence here and abroad. Kimmel explained on this week’s show, “For real, we are once again getting threatened by the FCC.”
Trump would post about the new FCC guidance during a summit about de-escalating world temperatures surrounding the ongoing Greenland infatuation from this administration. “I invited President Trump to appear on our show tonight, FCC be d******,” Kimel said. “Unfortunately, his head was unavailable to talk, but we were able to book another part of his body.”
How did fans help Jimmy Kimmel when he was under siege before?
Late last year, ABC made a decision to pull Jimmy Kimmel Live from the airwaves. FCC chairman Brendan Carr issued a series of challenges on Benny Johnson’s podcast. The company tried to get in front of the criticisms and the fans enacted a massive boycott of both Disney+ and their broadcast networks. Despite Disney quickly backtracking from their stance, Nexstar made the decision to drop Jimmy Kimmel Live!. (The undertone being they were trying to get a merger of different broadcast affiliate networks approved by the FCC. In their eyes, they couldn’t be getting in the way of commerce.)
Could a similar consumer boycott be on the table if Jimmy Kimmel was pulled off the air or The View goes away? The answer might surprise you! Despite their status as legacy media staples, both of these programs have massive audiences. In particular, The View commands so much oxygen in the media landscape every day during its normal airing hours. It would be impossible to think of so many viewers having their daily routines interrupted for a political grudge, and not striking back against that.
The final word on this FCC situation
Anna Gomez serves as the lone Democrat on the FCC. Her statements highlight an “escalation in this FCC’s ongoing campaign to censor and control speech.” Gomez continued, “Broadcasters should not feel pressured to water down, sanitize, or avoid critical coverage out of fear of regulatory retaliation. Broadcast stations have a constitutional right to carry newsworthy content, even when that content is critical of those in power.” It’s hard to argue with either assertion after the events that have kicked off 2026.
(featured image: ABC)
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