Trump pressure on the media mounting

The Walt Disney Co. has pulled “Jimmy Kimmel Live!” off the air “indefinitely” from its ABC network after the host made comments linking the alleged killer of conservative activist Charlie Kirk to Trump’s “Make America Great Again” movement. This move has sparked concerns about the protection of free speech in a Trump-era broadcast environment.

Kimmel’s comments were made during a monologue that aired Monday night, where he criticized the MAGA movement for trying to characterize the alleged killer as anything other than one of their own. He also mocked Trump’s response to Kirk’s death, saying that the president was at the “fourth stage of grief: construction” after Trump mentioned a new $200 million ballroom project during a press conference.

Regulatory Pressure

The suspension of “Jimmy Kimmel Live!” comes amid increased regulatory pressure from the Federal Communications Commission (FCC) and Trump’s scrutiny of media companies. FCC Chair Brendan Carr suggested that ABC’s broadcast license was at risk due to Kimmel’s comments, saying that the FCC would “have remedies that we can look at” with regard to the show.

Trump has also weighed in on the matter, saying that Kimmel should have been fired a long time ago and that he was “fired for a lack of talent.” The president has a history of clashing with media companies, including a recent lawsuit against Paramount, which resulted in a $16 million payout to settle a defamation suit.

Media Mergers and Acquisitions

The suspension of “Jimmy Kimmel Live!” also comes as Disney is seeking regulatory approval for a deal that would see the NFL buy 10% of ESPN in exchange for NFL Media assets. The FCC’s approval of the merger between Paramount and Skydance has also raised concerns about the potential for regulatory interference in media mergers.

Nexstar Media Group, which owns approximately 10% of ABC’s affiliate stations, has also preempted Kimmel’s show “for the foreseeable future” and is seeking FCC approval for its planned $6.2 billion merger with Tegna. Sinclair, which owns around 40 ABC affiliate stations, has also indefinitely preempted “Jimmy Kimmel Live!” and is exploring merger options for its broadcast stations.

Retaliatory Actions

Media companies have also been the target of defamation lawsuits in recent years, with Trump currently suing The New York Times and The Wall Street Journal over articles and a book published during the 2024 campaign. The president has also barred specific reporters and news organizations from pooled press events for not using preferred terminology or for being critical of him.

The Associated Press is currently restricted from access to White House spaces like the Oval Office and Air Force One because it would not adopt the renaming of the Gulf of Mexico to the Gulf of America. Former CNN reporter Jim Acosta had his credentials stripped back in 2018 after clashing with Trump, but the ban was later overturned.