Sen. Rand Paul criticizes FCC chair Brendan Carr for weighing in on Jimmy Kimmel controversy

Kentucky Sen. Rand Paul spoke out about the FCC chair, Brendan Carr's, remarks regarding Jimmy Kimmel's comments on Charlie Kirk's assassination. During an interview with NBC News, Sen. Paul discussed Kirk's legacy and called him a friend. He also revealed that he had joined Charlie on previous campus events, but at the time, they were not as huge as they are now.

This was followed by a discussion on whether the comments made by Brendan Carr were appropriate or not, to which the Senator responded by saying:

"Absolutely inappropriate. Brendan Carr's got no business weighing in on this, but people have to also realize that despicable comments, you have the right to say them, but you don't have the right to employment."

He continued:

"Everybody employed, including yourself, has a code of conduct in your contract that you have to adhere to. NFL players have it, Major League baseball players have it, and if you don't adhere to that conduct, you say things that are reprehensible, you glorify someone's death, or make fun of it in some way. Yeah, you can be fired."

"So the FCC should have nothing to do with it, but I do think that, you know, a couple of networks pulled out. Sinclair pulled out. They were disgusted by the comments. That's their right. You could be fired for not being popular, also, I mean, this is television for goodness' sakes. You have to sell sponsorships. You have to sell commercials, and if you're losing money, you can be fired," Sen. Rand Paul explains.

Sen. Rand Paul concluded by saying:

"But the government's got no business in it, and the FCC was wrong to weigh in, and I'll fight any attempt by the government to get involved with speech, I will fight."

What did FCC chair Brendan Carr say that drew criticism from Sen. Rand Paul?

Before Jimmy Kimmel's show, Jimmy Kimmel Live was suspended. FCC chair Brendan Carr went on a podcast to share a message to all the networks that are planning to air Kimmel's show.

Carr said:

"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."

After Brendan's statement, Nextstar and Disney announced that they will be pulling Kimmel's show from their network.

President Trump has celebrated the cancellation of Jimmy Kimmel Live, congratulating ABC for their "courageous" decision.

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Sen. Rand Paul made it clear that he disagreed with Jimmy Kimmel’s comments. But at the same time, he also opposed FCC chair Brendan Carr getting involved. Paul said this is not about free speech but about government overreach. He believed that only networks and sponsors should decide someone's employment and not the government.

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