Ted Cruz rips FCC chair's Jimmy Kimmel threat as 'unbelievably dangerous'
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Sen. Ted Cruz, R-Texas, blasted Federal Communications Commission Chair Brendan Carr on Friday for threats he made this week related to Jimmy Kimmel's show, calling the Trump administration official's actions "dangerous as hell."
“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,” Cruz said on his podcast, "Verdict with Ted Cruz."
“I like Brendan Carr. He’s a good guy, he’s the chairman of the FCC. I work closely with him, but what he said there is dangerous as hell,” Cruz said.
Cruz is chairman of the Senate Commerce Committee, which has jurisdiction over the FCC. He warned Carr's actions could have long-term consequences.
“It might feel good right now to threaten Jimmy Kimmel, yeah, but when it is used to silence every conservative in America, we will regret it,” Cruz said.
President Donald Trump sided with Carr while speaking to reporters in the Oval Office on Friday, when asked about Cruz's remarks.
“I think Brendan Carr is a great American patriot, so I disagree with Ted Cruz,” Trump said.
In an interview Wednesday with conservative commentator Benny Johnson, Carr warned that the FCC could take action against ABC and its parent company, Disney, over remarks Kimmel made on his late-night show Monday about the assassination of conservative activist Charlie Kirk.
The comedian said on “Jimmy Kimmel Live!” that “The MAGA gang [is] desperately trying to characterize this kid who murdered Charlie Kirk as anything other than one of them and doing everything they can to score political points from
Carr described Kimmel’s remarks as “the sickest conduct possible.”
“This is a very, very serious issue right now for Disney. We can do this the easy way or the hard way. These companies can find ways to change conduct and take action, frankly, on Kimmel or there is going to be additional work for the FCC ahead,” Carr told Johnson, later suggesting that ABC affiliates could face fines or see those licenses revoked if they continued airing the show.
ABC announced it was pulling the show off the air indefinitely within hours of Carr’s remarks.
Sen. Thom Tillis, R-N.C., told reporters that Cruz "is absolutely right" in his criticism of Carr's comments.
"This is just unacceptable behavior," said Tillis, who announced over the summer that he won't seek re-election next year.
Cruz went on to say Friday: "I hate what Jimmy Kimmel said," but likened Carr's comments about Disney taking the easy way or the hard way to a classic mob movie.
"I gotta say, that’s right out of 'Goodfellas.' That’s right out of a mafioso coming into a bar going, nice bar you have here, it’d be a shame if something happened to it,” Cruz said.
“And so again, I like Brendan Carr, but we should not be in this business. We should denounce it. It’s fine to say what Jimmy Kimmel said was deplorable, it was disgraceful, and he should be off air, but we shouldn’t be threatening government power to force him off air. That’s a real mistake,” Cruz said.
Sen. Dave McCormick, R-Pa., voiced his support for Cruz's sentiments in a social media post Friday night.
"Agree with Senator Cruz. Good riddance to Jimmy Kimmel and his disgusting rhetoric. Ted also raises important concerns about the comments of the FCC chairman," McCormick wrote.
The FCC did not immediately respond to a request for comment.
Democrats on the Senate Commerce Committee sent Cruz a letter Friday calling for a hearing with Carr.
“You have long prioritized conducting oversight to ensure our government is not being used to weaponize the censorship of speech," they wrote. "At a time when free speech is under threat, this hearing could not be more important for the American people."
Asked by NBC News if he would call Carr before the committee for a hearing, Cruz said, “We will certainly engage in oversight of all the agencies within the committee’s jurisdiction.”
Trump has repeatedly praised Carr and his actions, and suggested to reporters Thursday that he thinks the FCC chair should go even further. He said TV broadcasters mostly give him negative coverage, and "I would think maybe their license should be taken away. It will be up to Brendan Carr.”
Other Republicans have spoken out in support of Carr, including Rep. Chip Roy of Texas.
“I think the FCC was raising questions about what these broadcast entities, you know, are doing with their licenses. They’re well within their bounds to do that,” Roy said Thursday. “And the First Amendment needs to be absolutely guarded and protected and but again, we do a lot of thing with FCC licenses. We don’t let you say anything on broadcast. You know, we have, you know, some constraints there, and that’s appropriate.”
House Speaker Mike Johnson, R-La., portrayed the suspension as a simple business decision for ABC.
“What I do know is that ABC is a private company, and they can make their own choices on who they want to wear their brand, so to speak. So this is a matter of ABC’s leadership,” Johnson said.
Carr has suggested there's more to come. “We’re not done yet,” Carr told CNBC on Thursday.
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19 Sep 2025, 10:23 pm
