FCC chairman unconvincingly claims he never threatened ABC station licenses

Brendan Carr, the Chairman of the Federal Communications Commission (FCC), has firmly stated that he did not threaten to revoke the licenses of TV stations if Disney chose not to suspend Jimmy Kimmel's show. This assertion comes in light of widespread claims suggesting otherwise following a controversial statement he made last week. During an interview at the Concordia Summit, Carr addressed allegations from Democratic senators who accused the FCC of issuing threats to Disney and ABC regarding Kimmel's show. He claimed that these interpretations were distorted and misrepresentative of the FCC's actual operations. "There are many Democrats engaged in a campaign of projection and distortion," Carr remarked, insisting that no threat was ever made regarding license revocation. However, Carr's comments were not only met with skepticism from Democrats; several Republican senators also viewed his remarks as threatening. This escalating drama unfolded after Disney temporarily suspended Kimmel's show, following Carr's suggestion that ABC affiliates could face consequences for "news distortion." In a swift reversal, Disney reinstated Kimmel amid public backlash, although some ABC affiliates, specifically those owned by Nexstar and Sinclair, opted to replace his show with alternative programming. In his defense, Carr clarified that his comments were merely hypothetical and aimed at discussing the FCC's procedures for addressing complaints from local stations. He emphasized his role as a neutral party within the agency, stating, "I have expressed no view on the ultimate merits had something like that been filed." Carr concluded by reiterating the FCC's commitment to empowering local TV stations to better serve their communities.