Conservative Legal Group Used Direct Access to FCC Chairman Brendan Carr to Push Complaints Against Jimmy Kimmel and ABC

Tue, 14 Apr 2026 21:48:00 +0200

Internal emails obtained by WIRED reveal that the Center for American Rights (CAR), a small conservative legal organization, secured direct access to Federal Communications Commission Chairman Brendan Carr's senior staff to expedite complaints targeting late-night host Jimmy Kimmel and ABC. In September 2025, CAR routed filings straight to Carr's advisers, bypassing standard review processes. This occurred after Carr publicly suggested on a conservative podcast that ABC affiliates could face regulatory scrutiny over Kimmel's monologue discussing the assassination of Charlie Kirk. The group provided legal arguments focused on 'news distortion' and attached extensive opposition research on Kimmel's staff political donations. Following Carr's comments, several station groups preempted the show, and Disney suspended it indefinitely. CAR had previously influenced other FCC actions, including the Paramount-Skydance merger. Critics, including former FCC commissioners from both parties, condem