Late-night hosts Jimmy Kimmel and Stephen Colbert have come out swinging against the Federal Communications Commission's decision to enforce its "equal time" mandate, which requires networks to provide equal airtime to opposing political candidates.
Kimmel took aim at FCC chair Brendan Carr, labeling his move a "crackdown" and an attempt to "stifle" late-night shows. The ABC host pointed out that this issue is more complicated than his previous dust-up with the FCC chair, explaining that the mandate was established during the heyday of radio, but has since been applied to television.
Kimmel noted that late-night shows have long operated under an exemption granted by news networks in 2006, and questioned why Carr would now try to remove this exemption. He also pointed out that broadcast TV viewership is dwindling, with only 20% of viewing accounts for the medium.
The ABC host made light of the situation, saying "I have no idea what the outcome of this is going to be. We'll find out. I guess whatever happens, I want to just point it out because it is another example of this administration trying to squash anyone who doesn't support them by following the rules."
Meanwhile, Colbert addressed the FCC's move during one of his later segments on The Late Show. He joked about being silenced and pointed out that his lawyer had warned him not to discuss the new crackdown rules. Colbert also took aim at Carr directly, saying "Hey, I'm flattered you think that appearing on my show has the power to affect politics in any way."
The FCC's "equal time" rule requires broadcasters to devote equal airtime to political candidates if they appear on their shows. This mandate includes a carve-out for news broadcasts and was previously applied to both morning and late-night talk shows.
As broadcast TV viewership continues to decline, the relevance of this rule is being questioned by many. Kimmel and Colbert are just two of those voices pushing back against what some see as an attempt to silence opposing viewpoints on the airwaves.
Kimmel took aim at FCC chair Brendan Carr, labeling his move a "crackdown" and an attempt to "stifle" late-night shows. The ABC host pointed out that this issue is more complicated than his previous dust-up with the FCC chair, explaining that the mandate was established during the heyday of radio, but has since been applied to television.
Kimmel noted that late-night shows have long operated under an exemption granted by news networks in 2006, and questioned why Carr would now try to remove this exemption. He also pointed out that broadcast TV viewership is dwindling, with only 20% of viewing accounts for the medium.
The ABC host made light of the situation, saying "I have no idea what the outcome of this is going to be. We'll find out. I guess whatever happens, I want to just point it out because it is another example of this administration trying to squash anyone who doesn't support them by following the rules."
Meanwhile, Colbert addressed the FCC's move during one of his later segments on The Late Show. He joked about being silenced and pointed out that his lawyer had warned him not to discuss the new crackdown rules. Colbert also took aim at Carr directly, saying "Hey, I'm flattered you think that appearing on my show has the power to affect politics in any way."
The FCC's "equal time" rule requires broadcasters to devote equal airtime to political candidates if they appear on their shows. This mandate includes a carve-out for news broadcasts and was previously applied to both morning and late-night talk shows.
As broadcast TV viewership continues to decline, the relevance of this rule is being questioned by many. Kimmel and Colbert are just two of those voices pushing back against what some see as an attempt to silence opposing viewpoints on the airwaves.
and also omg brendan carr needs a reality check, like what's next, going after jimmy's show?! 
... like, who makes these rules anyway? and why now? seems like they're trying to stifle free speech or something... but at the same time, it's all pretty confusing - i mean, late-night shows have been dodging this rule for years 
. and honestly, can we just talk about how crazy it is that broadcast tv viewership is dwindling? like, 20% of people even still watch the stuff... what does that say about our priorities or something? 
anyway, i think kimmel and colbert are totally on point here - we should be able to have some fun with our airwaves without being forced to give equal time to whoever's in charge 
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... I get it, fairness and all that jazz, but do we really need to be forced into giving equal time to every Tom, Dick, and Harry who wants to run for office? I think the late-night shows already give a fair dose of opposing views without having to follow some outdated rule from the radio days 
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. and kimmel is right, what's next? telling comedians what jokes are funny now? 
at least 20% of broadcast TV viewers still watch shows, so who's really affected here? 
But on the other hand, isn't this a slippery slope where they'll start forcing us to play nice with politicians all the time? 
I don't know, man... I guess I'm just confused 
and btw jimmy kimmel is right, 20% of people even watch broadcast tv anymore, it's like ancient history 
. I mean, can't we just let people have their own opinions without needing to be spoon-fed "equal time" for everything? And seriously, Jimmy Kimmel is low-key my hero right now 
. He's not afraid to speak truth to power and call out the FCC for what it is – a total overreach 
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I'm thinking, 20% viewing accounts for broadcast TV? that's crazy low! 
and have you seen the viewership numbers for late-night shows lately? they're killing it! 
Colbert's right, if this rule is enforced, his show might be one of the first to go 
Can't we just have a little bit of disagreement without someone getting upset and trying to shut it down? 
i'm not saying Kimmel or Colbert are being unfair, but isn't this just another example of 'us vs them'? 
. And then you got the FCC, who wants to regulate everything, thinking that by enforcing equal airtime, they can somehow make a difference? But isn't that just like trying to control the narrative instead of having real conversations? 
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. It seems like they're trying to stifle free speech on our late-night shows, which is not cool 
. It's just another example of how our voices are being silenced by those in power