Brendan Carr, the FCC muscle behind Trump's anti-media crusade episode artwork

EPISODE · Sep 22, 2025 · 19 MIN

Brendan Carr, the FCC muscle behind Trump's anti-media crusade

from Post Reports · host The Washington Post

After the abrupt suspension of “Jimmy Kimmel Live!” last week over comments host Jimmy Kimmel made following the killing of Charlie Kirk, many credited one person for getting Kimmel off the air: Brendan Carr, chair of the Federal Communications Commission. Hours before the suspension was announced, Carr seemed to threaten FCC action against networks, saying “we can do this the easy way or the hard way,” and advising Disney and other media companies to “find ways to change conduct.” Carr denies playing a direct role in the Kimmel suspension, but critics say Carr has emerged as Trump’s top enforcer in the president’s war against the media. Host Elahe Izadi talks to media reporter Scott Nover about Carr’s background, his role in the Jimmy Kimmel drama and how he may be trying to expand the power of the FCC. Today’s show was produced by Peter Bresnan, with help from Elana Gordon. It was edited by Ariel Plotnick and mixed by Sam Bair. Special thanks to James Graff. Subscribe to The Washington Post here.

Episode metadata supplied by the publisher feed · Published Sep 22, 2025

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FCC chair Brendan Carr has emerged as one of the top lieutenants in President Trump’s war against the media. How much power does he really hold?

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Brendan Carr, the FCC muscle behind Trump's anti-media crusade

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