News commentary

Does the FCC have the power to regulate speech? Free speech experts say no in the Jimmy Kimmel case.

Poynter · Louis Jacobson · last updated

Did Federal Communications Commission Chairman Brendan Carr overstep the bounds of government oversight when he called for action against late-night talk show host Jimmy Kimmel?

Kimmel sparked conservative criticism when he spoke about the suspect in the Sept. 10 assassination of conservative activist Charlie Kirk on his show, “Jimmy Kimmel Live!”

In his Sept. 15 monologue, Kimmel said, “We hit some new lows over the weekend with the MAGA gang trying to characterize this kid who killed Charlie Kirk as anything other than one of them,” Kimmel said.

He also aired a clip showing Trump’s brief response to a question about how he was handling Kirk’s death. It showed Trump quickly pivoting to discussing the ballroom he’s building at the White House. But the bigger controversy stemmed from another comment about Kirk’s suspected shooter.

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