FCC Chairman Brendan Carr testifies before the House Appropriations Subcommittee on Financial Services and General Government at the Rayburn House Office Building on May 21, 2025 in Washington, DC.
John Mcdonnell | Getty Images
Federal Communications Commission Chairman Brendan Carr on Thursday said that ABC late-night host Jimmy Kimmel appeared to “mislead” the American public about facts regarding conservative activist Charlie Kirk’s killing in the days leading up to his show’s suspension.
ABC on Wednesday night said it was pulling “Jimmy Kimmel Live!” off the air “indefinitely” as a result of the host’s comments, which linked Kirk’s alleged killer, Tyler Robinson, to President Donald Trump’s “Make America Great Again” movement.
“The issue that arose here, where lots and lots of people were upset, was not a joke,” Carr said during an interview Thursday with CNBC’s “Squawk on the Street.”
“It was not making fun,” Carr said.
“It was appearing to directly mislead the American public about a significant fact that probably one of the most significant political events we’ve had in a long time, for the most significant political assassination we’ve seen in a long time,” he said.
Utah court documents filed Tuesday in connection with the murder charge against Robinson say his mother told investigators, “Over the last year or so, her son had become more political and had
started to lean more to the left, becoming more pro gay and trans-rights oriented.”
Those documents also say that when Robinson was asked why he killed Kirk, “Robinson explained there is too much evil, and [Kirk] spreads too much hate.”
A day before those documents were filed, KImmel, in his show’s opening monologue Monday, said “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.”
This is breaking news. Please refresh for updates.
