On this special episode of the Chuck ToddCast, Chuck reacts with alarm to ABC’s decision to pull Jimmy Kimmel off the air after FCC Chair Brendan Carr issued unconstitutional, mob boss–style threats. Though Kimmel’s comments weren’t in violation of FCC rules, Carr’s pressure—amplified by Trump’s threats and Nexstar’s influence—sparked a firestorm over government coercion, corporate capitulation, and the chilling effect on free speech. From the Nexstar/Tegna merger and Disney’s vulnerability to the broader shift of “cancel culture” from the left to the right, Chuck examines how Trump and his allies are using state power to silence dissent in violation of the 1st amendment—and what it means for media credibility, democracy, and the rule of law.
Timeline:
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00:00 ABC pulls Kimmel off air after threats from FCC chair Brendan Carr
02:30 Kimmel’s comments were pretty benign, not against FCC regulations
03:15 Each side is finger pointing over whose ideology causes violence
04:30 Brendan Carr issued unconstitutional, mob boss like threats
05:45 Carr didn’t like that MAGA was criticized
06:45 Nexstar’s cancellation put pressure on Disney
07:15 Disney opened the door to coercion by settling court case
08:45 Nexstar/Tegna merger needs FCC approval
10:00 If Carr didn’t go public, public backlash could have been avoided
11:15 JD Vance has encouraged doxxing people for their free speech
12:15 Trump threatened Kimmel would “be next” after Colbert
13:00 Trump is using the power of the state to silence dissent
15:15 Media corporations that won’t stand up to Trump should sell
17:15 News organizations bowing to Trump have lost credibility
19:00 Republicans used to push back on unconstitutional actions by Trump
22:00 Trump didn’t get 50% of the popular vote, but governs like he got 100%
23:30 “Cancel culture” has moved from the left to the right
24:30 Deplatforming Trump after J6 was a massive mistake
25:45 Stephen Miller and Brendan Carr are drunk with power
26:30 This is an extraordinarily unconstitutional act
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