"As week one of Kimmel Held Hostage comes to an end, it's worth focusing on what just happened: This was a coordinated strike on Jimmy Kimmel Live carried out by regulatory forces loyal to the Trump government. FCC chair Brendan Carr teamed up with right-wing podcaster Benny Johnson to threaten TV station groups which air Kimmel's show if they didn't do things "the easy way" and pull Kimmel's show."
"They did exactly that, and only then did Disney-owned ABC respond by halting production of JKL. In other words, Kimmel didn't commit some shocking offense which prompted ABC to discipline him; Carr, fully aware of Trump's stated desire that Kimmel should be the "next" network late-night host to lose his show, grabbed on to the tiniest thread of grievance and spun it into a direct assault on Kimmel, ABC and the First Amendment."
Regulatory forces aligned with the Trump administration pressured broadcasters to pull Jimmy Kimmel Live after FCC chair Brendan Carr and podcaster Benny Johnson threatened station groups. Stations removed Kimmel's show, and Disney-owned ABC subsequently halted production of JKL. The action followed political aims to target Kimmel as the next late-night host to lose his show, framing the move as a response to a minor grievance. Disney CEO Bob Iger and TV chief Dana Walden reportedly prefer Kimmel and seek a way to return him to the air, opting for a temporary cooling-off period to avoid escalating the situation.
Read at Vulture
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