At the start of his show, Colbert told viewers that CBS had barred him from airing the interview, citing threats from Brendan Carr, the chair of the Federal Communications Commission. (You may remember Carr as the guy who sounded like a cartoon mobster while trying to get Jimmy Kimmel fired-"We can do this the easy way or the hard way"-drawing a rebuke from Senator Ted Cruz.)
All year on The Vergecast, we've been tracking the many bizarre and problematic actions of FCC Chairman Brendan Carr. There has been a lot to discuss! Then, this week, ahead of one of our last episodes of the year, Carr appeared in front of the Senate Commerce Committee and spent three hours explaining how he thinks about his job, the FCC, and the state of online communication and entertainment. It was a lot.
NBC's Seth Meyers is suffering from an incurable case of Trump Derangement Syndrome (TDS). He was viewed last night in an uncontrollable rage, likely due to the fact that his 'show' is a Ratings DISASTER. Aside from everything else, Meyers has no talent, and NBC should fire him, IMMEDIATELY!
Michael Eisner, Disney's former CEO who ran the company for 21 years and oversaw its acquisition of ABC in 1995, does not think his successor, Bob Iger, made the right decision in moving to put Jimmy Kimmel Live! On indefinite pause following threats from Trump-appointed FCC chairman Brendan Carr. In a post to X about the Kimmel situation, Eisner - who once opted to suppress the theatrical release of Martin Scorsese's Kundun in response to pressure from the Chinese government - questioned "where has all the leadership gone?"
Kimmel, a late-night host who's long criticized and mocked President Donald Trump, had his namesake show on ABC suspended "indefinitely" after his comments about Charlie Kirk, the right-wing influencer who was killed in public last week. Carr, a Trump appointee, suggested on a conservative podcast on Wednesday that owners of local broadcast stations that license ABC programming should pressure the network to cancel Kimmel. He said broadcasters who don't act "in the public interest" could get their licenses reviewed.
We hit some new lows over the weekend with the MAGA gang 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 it.
Earlier this month Brendan Carr, the chairman of the Federal Communications Commission, decided to swap out his usual American flag lapel pin... instead pinned a gold medallion in the shape of President Trump's profile... to his blue suit.
