In the escalating battle surrounding Jimmy Kimmel, an unexpected voice has emerged pushing back on the government’s latest move. One of President Donald Trump's biggest supporters and Kimmel's biggest critics sounds like he's on the late-night host's side when it comes to the FCC.
Republican Senator Ted Cruz is now raising concerns about the Federal Communications Commission accelerating the renewal process for The Walt Disney Company’s broadcast licenses. The FCC recently ordered ABC to file for renewal of its eight owned-and-operated stations within 30 days.
It was a surprise move by the FCC and came during a period of intense scrutiny aimed at Kimmel over a recent joke in which he referred to First Lady Melania Trump as an "expectant widow." The First Lady and President Trump both called for Disney to fire Kimmel, but the media company seems to be standing behind the comedian.
“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 a direct defense of Kimmel's joke, the statement clearly draws a line in how far the GOP senator thinks government censorship should extend.
When asked about Cruz’s criticism, an FCC spokesperson maintained that the move is unrelated to Kimmel or any specific broadcast content. “As the agency decision makes clear, the early renewal order is based on a long-running FCC investigation into Disney’s DEI conduct, not any speech,” the spokesperson said (per Variety).
Still, the timing has raised eyebrows across the political spectrum, especially given the recent pressure campaign against Kimmel from Trump and his allies. Cruz himself has been part of that broader criticism. Just days ago, he quote-tweeted coverage of Kimmel’s “expectant widow” joke from the comedian's mock White House Correspondents’ Dinner segment, simply calling it “sick.”
While Cruz may have little support for Kimmel’s comedy, he appears equally concerned of setting a precedent where federal regulators intervene over speech. Cruz expressed similar views when ABC suspended Kimmel for his Charlie Kirk comments. It's the latest chapter in a long-running, often personal feud between the senator and the late-night host.
Kimmel has relentlessly mocked Cruz over the years, including during the senator's ill-fated presidential campaigns and through a book release. Things reached a peak in 2018 when the two squared off in a one-on-one basketball game. Cruz won in the charity event that seems like a lifetime ago now.
As pressure mounts on Disney and ABC, and with the FCC now directly involved, the situation is turning into something larger than just outrage over a late-night joke. And in that fight, even one of Kimmel’s most consistent critics seems to think the government may have gone too far.
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