Sen. Ted Cruz apparently is backing the First Amendment over partisan politics.
The Texas lawmaker hinted in an interview today that he doesn’t believe the FCC should wade into the latest dust-up between Jimmy Kimmel and Donald Trump. “It is not government’s job to censor speech, and I do not believe the FCC should operate as the speech police,” Cruz told Punchbowl News.
While not addressing the situation directly, Cruz seems to be taking a stand against FCC Chairman Brendan Carr‘s order to do an early review of Disney‘s owned-and-operation TV stations over Kimmel’s recent joke about Melania Trump.
The latest Kimmel-FCC kerfuffle started last week, when the Jimmy Kimmel Live! host used his monologue to deliver an “alternate” White House Correspondents’ Dinner speech ahead of the real thing in Washington D.C. During the bit, he cracked: “Our first lady, Melania, is here. Look at Melania, so beautiful. Mrs. Trump, you have a glow like an expectant widow.”
The following day, the first lady punched back, posting on X, in part: “Kimmel’s hateful and violent rhetoric is intended to divide our country. … People like Kimmel shouldn’t have the opportunity to enter our homes each evening to spread hate. … It is time for ABC to take a stand. How many times will ABC’s leadership enable Kimmel’s atrocious behavior at the expense of our community.”
That led to a rebuke from her husband, the president, who’d been the target of an assassination attempt during Saturday’s WHCD. Donald Trump posted on Truth Social that the ABC host should be “immediately fired.” Kimmel said on JKL that night that his joke was not a “call to assassination, and they know that.” But Carr said Tuesday that he’d ordered the early review of Disney O&Os licenses.
The station renewals had been set for 2028 and 2031, but Disney must have all the paperwork in by May 28.
Later Tuesday, Disney — under new management by recently promoted CEO Josh D’Amaro — issued a statement reading in part, “We are confident that record demonstrates our continued qualifications as licensees under the Communications Act and the First Amendment and are prepared to show that through the appropriate legal channels.”
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