Brendan Carr, the chairman of the Federal Communications Commission, the nation’s primary watchdog for the broadcast industry, found himself embroiled in a significant media controversy on Wednesday.
In a recent interview on a right-wing podcast, Mr. Carr openly criticized comments made by late-night host Jimmy Kimmel earlier in the week concerning the killing of conservative activist Charlie Kirk. Following this, ABC made the decision to remove the Jimmy Kimmel Live show from the air “indefinitely.” This move quickly drew sharp criticism from many Democrats, who saw it as undue pressure from the F.C.C., while former President Trump lauded the suspension as “Great News for America.”
Here’s what you need to know about Mr. Carr.
What is Carr’s background?
Mr. Carr, 46, a Washington, D.C., native, began his career as an attorney, representing corporate clients on regulatory issues, particularly within the wireless industry. In 2012, he joined the F.C.C. as a staff attorney.
Since then, he has steadily advanced within the agency and the Republican Party. He previously worked alongside Ajit Pai, Mr. Trump’s first appointee to chair the regulatory body. In mid-2017, Mr. Carr was appointed to a Republican seat on the commission.
During his tenure as a commissioner, he gained Republican attention for his outspoken criticism of news media outlets, accusing them of exhibiting liberal biases.
Mr. Carr authored the F.C.C. chapter for Project 2025, an influential blueprint developed for Mr. Trump’s 2024 presidential campaign and subsequent election. In this document, Mr. Carr advocated for the agency to prioritize reining in large tech companies, which he accused of censorship.
“The F.C.C. should promote freedom of speech,” he emphatically stated in the opening lines of the chapter.
Why did President Trump pick Carr to chair the F.C.C.?
In many respects, Mr. Carr was the obvious candidate for the role. He possessed extensive experience in communications regulation, arguably more than almost any other contender, and was a well-recognized figure in policy circles.
Through frequent appearances on Fox News and numerous social media posts, Mr. Carr consistently echoed Mr. Trump’s escalating frustration with broadcasters during the election period. Furthermore, Mr. Carr maintained strong connections within influential conservative organizations in Washington, such as the Heritage Foundation and the Federalist Society.
Prior to the election, Mr. Carr aligned himself closely with Elon Musk, who was at the time a trusted confidant of Mr. Trump. On X, the social media platform owned by Mr. Musk, Carr frequently shared images of himself at SpaceX launches and other ventures associated with the billionaire.
“Commissioner Carr is a warrior for Free Speech, and has fought against the regulatory Lawfare that has stifled Americans’ Freedoms, and held back our Economy,” Mr. Trump declared when he announced Mr. Carr’s appointment to lead the F.C.C. in January.
What has Carr done since taking over the F.C.C.?
Upon assuming leadership, Mr. Carr quickly initiated investigations into diversity, equity, and inclusion (DEI) programs, actively working to dismantle them. Concurrently, he implemented significant deregulation for broadband companies.
In January, he controversially reinstated complaints against CBS, NBC, and ABC, accusing the broadcasters of exhibiting political biases. These complaints had previously been dismissed by the F.C.C. under former President Joseph R. Biden Jr., who argued they infringed upon the First Amendment.
By March, Mr. Carr had commenced an investigation into ABC’s diversity policies, asserting his intent to scrutinize them for any discriminatory practices. In April, he publicly accused Comcast, the parent company of NBC, of engaging in “news distortion.”
A complaint filed with the F.C.C. in October 2024 by a conservative group targeted CBS’s “60 Minutes,” alleging the network manipulated an interview with former Vice President Kamala Harris to portray her favorably. Mr. Carr subsequently linked this complaint to Paramount’s pending $8 billion merger deal with Skydance, which required F.C.C. approval.
In early July, Paramount settled Mr. Trump’s lawsuit against CBS for $16 million. Weeks later, Mr. Carr approved the Paramount-Skydance merger.
How can Carr punish the media?
Mr. Carr’s primary authority stems from the licenses that the F.C.C. grants to radio and television stations, allowing them to broadcast over public airwaves.
While the F.C.C. lacks the direct power to ban a news network based on its content, Mr. Carr has contended that he can withhold licenses from entities he deems are not operating in the public’s interest.
The concept of “public interest” can be interpreted broadly, and many telecommunications experts suggest that Mr. Carr, more than any previous F.C.C. chair, has wielded his position to aggressively address speech he considers offensive.
What did Carr say about Jimmy Kimmel?
During his Monday night monologue, Mr. Kimmel addressed the tragic killing of Mr. Kirk, stating: “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.”
In his podcast interview on Wednesday, Mr. Carr characterized Mr. Kimmel’s comments as part of a “concerted effort to lie to the American people” about the motivations of Mr. Kirk’s killer. He warned that the F.C.C. had “remedies that we can look at.”
“Frankly, when you see stuff like this — I mean, we can do this the easy way or the hard way,” Mr. Carr told podcast host Benny Johnson. “These companies can find ways to change conduct and take action, frankly, on Kimmel, or there’s going to be additional work for the F.C.C. ahead.”
The F.C.C. did not immediately respond to requests for comment.
Mr. Carr later appeared on Sean Hannity’s Fox News program on Wednesday night.
“I’m very glad to see that America’s broadcasters are standing up to serve the interests of their community,” Mr. Carr remarked. “We don’t just have this progressive foie gras coming out from New York and Hollywood.”