Senator Rand Paul unleashed scathing criticism against Federal Communications Commission Chairman Brendan Carr in September 2025, denouncing as "absolutely inappropriate" the top regulator's threats to revoke broadcasting licenses from ABC after comedian Jimmy Kimmel made controversial remarks about the assassination of conservative activist Charlie Kirk.
The Kentucky Republican's rare public rebuke of a Trump administration official highlights growing bipartisan alarm over government encroachment into media content decisions, with Paul vowing to fight any attempt by federal regulators to interfere with free speech protections. The controversy erupted when Carr suggested ABC could face license revocation or additional regulatory scrutiny unless the network took action against Kimmel for comments deemed offensive to Republicans following Kirk's fatal shooting in September.
"Brendan Carr's got no business weighing in on this. Any attempt by the government to get involved with speech, I will fight. The FCC was wrong and I will fight any attempt by the government to get involved in speech."
ABC responded to Carr's regulatory pressure by indefinitely suspending "Jimmy Kimmel Live!" from its broadcast schedule, a move that sparked immediate backlash from free speech advocates across the political spectrum. Sinclair Broadcasting, ABC's largest affiliate group, pulled Kimmel from all its stations and presented the comedian with a list of demands he would need to meet before the company would resume airing his program. The swift corporate capitulation raised alarm bells about the chilling effect of government pressure on editorial independence.
Fellow Republican Senator Ted Cruz joined Paul in condemning the FCC's tactics, comparing Carr's approach to mob-style intimidation from the 1990 film Goodfellas on his podcast "Verdict with Ted Cruz." Representative Don Bacon, another Republican critic, characterized the regulatory threats as fundamentally un-American, emphasizing that defending freedom of speech and press remains paramount even when media content proves offensive or distasteful to political leaders.
The controversy follows President Trump's long history of threatening broadcasters' licenses over negative coverage and recent lawsuits against media outlets including a dismissed defamation case against The New York Times. CBS cancelled Stephen Colbert's late-night show in July after Paramount reached a $16 million settlement with Trump while seeking FCC approval for a corporate merger.
Paul carefully distinguished between constitutional free speech protections and employment consequences, noting that while Americans possess the legal right to make despicable comments, employers retain discretion to terminate workers who violate conduct standards. However, he emphasized the crucial principle that government agencies must remain completely divorced from content moderation decisions made by private media companies, warning that federal intervention sets dangerous precedents for authoritarian control over public discourse.
The incident represents the latest flashpoint in escalating tensions between the Trump administration and media organizations, with critics warning that weaponizing regulatory agencies to punish unfavorable coverage threatens fundamental democratic norms. While President Trump defended Carr as a "fantastic patriot" and celebrated ABC's decision to cancel Kimmel as "Great News for America," the bipartisan nature of congressional criticism suggests limits to how far even Trump-aligned Republicans will tolerate government interference in broadcast content and journalistic independence.