Brendan Carr, commissioner at the Federal Communications Commission, speaks during a House hearing in Washington on May 21, 2025. Photo: Alex Wroblewski/Bloomberg via Getty Images

Jonathan Reiss is a co-founder of the Media and Democracy Project.

When Brendan Carr , Donald Trump’s Federal Communications Commission chair, demanded that Disney/ABC jump, the influential media conglomerate replied, “How high?”

That’s effectively what happened when Carr, an ardent Trump loyalist, offered harsh criticisms of late-night comic Jimmy Kimmel’s statements about Charlie Kirk’s alleged killer. The comments, Carr said, were “sick.”

“These companies can find way to change conduct and take action, frankly, on Kimmel or there’s going to be additional work for the FCC ahead,” Carr said, adding th

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