The suspension of Jimmy Kimmel Live! is proving to be about more than late-night controversy. What initially looked like a straightforward case of cancel culture has unraveled into a story involving media consolidation, FCC policy, and accusations of hypocrisy according to Kevin ‘KFC’ Clancy of Barstool Sports.
In a commentary shared on Instagram, Clancy pointed out that FCC Commissioner Brendan Carr praised Nexstar for taking action against Jimmy Kimmel, stating that the company was “serving the public interest.” However, those remarks suggest a reversal by Carr. In 2019, he tweeted that the FCC does not have a roving mandate to police speech, and the government should not censor what it doesn’t like.
Adding to the skepticism, Nexstar is currently pursuing a $6.2 billion merger that would create one of the largest media conglomerates in television. Such a deal would ordinarily bump against FCC ownership caps. Yet Carr recently signaled to Benny Johnson an openness to loosening those restrictions, raising questions about whether Nexstar’s move against Kimmel was more about currying favor with regulators than serving the public’s interest.
Clancy admitted not being a fan of Kimmel’s, but having gone through cancel culture situations himself, he tends to side with those who land in hot water for controversial remarks. He says Kimmel was an easy target for those frustrated by today’s political media climate. However, what appeared to be a case of accountability for poor rhetoric may instead be a calculated corporate maneuver.
KFC believes Kimmel’s suspension leaves many questions about free speech, the influence of regulators, and the outsized role of money in shaping what audiences see on television. He finished his commentary by adding, ‘it’s never about free speech, it’s never about protecting rights, it’s always about the money and how to get it’.
Touché!
Exactly. When was the last time you heard of an FCC commissioner commenting on the actions of a public media company “disciplining” a show or personality on its networks? There’s a line to be draw here and it’s not dotted. It’s a straight line.