Even Ted Cruz Says FCC Chair Brendan Carr’s Threats Are “Dangerous as Hell”
“It might feel good right now to threaten Jimmy Kimmel, yeah, but when it is used to silence every conservative in America, we will regret it.” — Sen. Ted Cruz
A Republican Breaks Ranks
In a rare rebuke from within his own party, Sen. Ted Cruz (R-Texas) blasted FCC Chairman Brendan Carr for threatening to punish ABC and Disney over Jimmy Kimmel’s late-night comments. On his podcast Verdict with Ted Cruz, the senator didn’t mince words: “What he said there is dangerous as hell.”
Cruz, who chairs the Senate Commerce Committee with direct oversight of the FCC, warned that Carr’s rhetoric sets a precedent that could one day be weaponized against conservatives. “I think it is unbelievably dangerous for government to put itself in the position of saying we’re going to decide what speech we like and what we don’t, and we’re going to threaten to take you off air if we don’t like what you’re saying,” Cruz said.
What Sparked the Clash
The controversy began after Jimmy Kimmel mocked attempts by right-wing figures to spin the murder of Turning Point USA founder Charlie Kirk. Kimmel said on Jimmy Kimmel Live! that “the MAGA gang [is] 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.”
The suspect, 22-year-old Tyler Robinson, was charged this week in Utah. According to charging documents, Robinson’s family and state officials described him as having grown up conservative before shifting left politically over the past year.
Carr, a Trump-appointed FCC chairman, called Kimmel’s remarks “the sickest conduct possible.” In an interview with right-wing commentator Benny Johnson, Carr warned Disney and ABC that “we can do this the easy way or the hard way,” suggesting the FCC could levy fines or revoke broadcast licenses if Kimmel remained on air. Hours later, ABC pulled Jimmy Kimmel Live! indefinitely, a move critics say was the direct result of Carr’s threats.
Trump and Carr Double Down
President Donald Trump sided with Carr, praising him as “a great American patriot” and dismissing Cruz’s concerns. Carr himself has defended his comments, framing them as accountability for what he deemed “dangerous” speech. But to Cruz and other Republicans, including Sen. Thom Tillis (R-N.C.), Carr’s posture looked less like public service and more like political strong-arming. Tillis said flatly: “This is just unacceptable behavior.”
The Mob Movie Analogy
Cruz went further, likening Carr’s threats to mafia tactics. “That’s right out of Goodfellas,” he said. “That’s right out of a mafioso coming into a bar going, nice bar you have here, it’d be a shame if something happened to it.” While Cruz emphasized that he personally detests Kimmel’s remarks, he argued that government coercion against broadcasters for political speech is a red line. His warning was clear: if Trump’s FCC can silence a late-night comedian, the same weapon could be turned against conservatives in the future.
Why It Matters
The dust-up highlights a fundamental battle over free speech, government power, and the role of regulators in policing media. Brendan Carr’s actions are unprecedented in their bluntness, threatening license revocations over editorial content, and even Trump’s allies are calling foul. When a Republican senator as hard-line as Ted Cruz is openly calling a Trump-appointed FCC chair “dangerous as hell,” it underscores just how reckless and destabilizing Carr’s crusade against dissent has become.
Sources
- Republican Ted Cruz says FCC chair’s threats about Kimmel are ‘dangerous’ — Washington Post (The Washington Post)
- Senate Republican blasts FCC chair threats to Disney — Reuters (Reuters)
- Ted Cruz says conservatives “will regret” Trump’s FCC chairman going after Jimmy Kimmel — The Texas Tribune (The Texas Tribune)
- ABC pulls “Jimmy Kimmel Live” off air after remarks about Kirk — Reuters (Reuters)
- FCC Commissioner Anna Gomez blasts ABC’s suspension of Jimmy Kimmel — Business Insider (businessinsider.com)
