Anna Gomez, the only Democrat currently serving as a commissioner on the FCC, has spoken out in support of Disney’s decision to resume production on “Jimmy Kimmel Live.”
“I am glad to see Disney find its courage in the face of clear government intimidation,” she said in a statement. “More importantly, I want to thank those Americans from across the ideological spectrum who spoke loudly and courageously against this blatant attempt to silence free speech. It will continue to be up to us as citizens to push back against this Administration’s growing campaign of censorship and control.”
“As this FCC considers steps that would let the same billion-dollar media conglomerates that caved in to government pressure grow even bigger, we must combat these efforts to stifle free expression,” Gomez’s statement continued. “I will keep fighting ensure local broadcasters have the independence to stand up to government threats.”
Gomez’s statement runs in contrast to the position of Brendan Carr, the FCC’s Donald Trump-appointed chairman. On Sept. 17, speaking about Kimmel’s comment that monologue that “the MAGA gang” was attempting to portray Charlie Kirk‘s assassin as “anything other than one of them,” Carr said on a podcast, “We can do this the easy way or the hard way. These companies can find ways to change conduct and take action, frankly, on Kimmel or there’s going to be additional work for the FCC ahead.” Hours later, Nexstar pulled “Jimmy Kimmel Live” from its ABC affiliate stations. The network halted production on the late night show after that.
As Gomez noted, Kimmel’s suspension was protested by people of varying political backgrounds. In addition to the wide support for Kimmel in Hollywood and on the left, Republican politicians including Ted Cruz and Rand Paul publicly disagreed with Carr’s approach to the matter (though both also criticized Kimmel’s comments about Kirk and noted Disney’s right to take disciplinary action).
From Variety US
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