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Cruz Breaks With Administration Over Kimmel Controversy

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Ted Cruz
Flckr, by Gage Skidmore

Sen. Ted Cruz pushed back on the Federal Communications Commission’s decision to fast-track a license review of ABC-owned stations, after backlash over Jimmy Kimmel’s joke about President Donald Trump.

The dispute follows a monologue in which Kimmel referred to first lady Melania Trump as an “expectant widow” during a parody of the White House Correspondents’ Dinner, a line that drew immediate condemnation from Trump and his allies.

Days later, authorities say a man crashed the actual correspondents’ dinner while allegedly targeting administration officials, according to a manifesto that outlined a plan to prioritize victims by rank.

Trump responded by calling Kimmel’s joke a “despicable call to violence” and demanding he be removed from the air.

Melania Trump also weighed in, writing that the host “shouldn’t have the opportunity to enter our homes each evening to spread hate.”

“A coward, Kimmel hides behind ABC because he knows the network will keep running cover to protect him,” she wrote. “Enough is enough. It is time for ABC to take a stand.”

Soon after, the FCC, led by Chairman Brendan Carr, moved to pull forward the license renewal review for eight ABC stations. Those licenses were not set to expire for several years.

The commission said the action stems from a long-running investigation into Disney’s diversity, equity and inclusion practices, not the Kimmel segment itself. The timing, however, has drawn scrutiny.

Cruz rejected the idea that the agency should weigh in on speech at all.

“It is not government’s job to censor speech, and I do not believe the FCC should operate as the speech police,” he told Punchbowl News.

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Kimmel addressed the backlash during his next broadcast, dismissing claims that his comment crossed a line.

“It was not by any stretch of the definition a call to assassination,” he said, calling it “a very light roast joke” tied to Trump’s age.

He added that rhetoric should be dialed down, then turned that point back on the administration.

“I agree that hateful and violent rhetoric is something we should reject,” Kimmel said, telling the first lady that a “great place to start” would be a conversation with her husband.

Disney defended its stations after the FCC’s move. “We are confident [ABC and its stations’] record demonstrates our continued qualifications as licensees under the Communications Act and the First Amendment,” a company spokesperson said, adding it would respond through legal channels.

The fight has drawn in voices from across media and politics. Author Stephen King criticized Trump for demanding consequences over the joke, pointing to past remarks the president made about political figures.

“People who live in glass houses shouldn’t throw s–t,” King wrote. “Last week her husband commented on Robert Mueller’s death: ‘Good. I’m glad he’s dead.’ Said Pretty much the same about my old friend Rob Reiner.”

Trump has previously used his Truth Social account to respond to deaths and controversies involving public figures, including comments about former special counsel Robert Mueller and director Rob Reiner.

Conservative commentator Bill O’Reilly, who once defended Kimmel, reversed course this week.

“I was wrong, absolutely wrong,” he said, arguing the host’s tone has crossed into “hate speech.”

He stopped short of calling for punishment, saying, “I’m not going to call for any sanctions against Kimmel,” but added that the material is no longer satire.

The clash marks the latest escalation in a long-running feud between Trump and Kimmel.

The president has repeatedly called for the host to be fired, while Kimmel has continued to target Trump in his monologues.

The tension intensified after earlier remarks tied to the killing of conservative activist Charlie Kirk, when Kimmel suggested some supporters were trying to distance themselves from the attacker.

ABC briefly pulled Kimmel off the air after those comments, and he later apologized before returning to the show.

Criticism has also come from those directly affected by political violence. Erika Kirk, speaking on “The Charlie Kirk Show,” described the joke about the first lady as personal and painful.

“How would you feel if even just one person made cruel jokes about the attempted murder of your loved one?” Kirk’s widow said. “That is what Jimmy Kimmel did to the first lady.”

She stated that the mainstream media has contributed the political divide.

“Our country has become unrecognizable,” she added. “They have perverted the truth to the point that they motivated the murder of my husband.”

Kimmel continued to target Trump in subsequent episodes. After the president joked during an appearance with King Charles III that he and Melania Trump would not match his parents’ 63-year marriage, Kimmel seized on the comment.

“Wait a minute. Did he just make a joke about his death? My god. He should be fired for that,” Kimmel remarked, drawing applause from the audience.

He framed the moment as contradictory given Trump’s earlier demand that he be removed.

“Only Donald Trump would demand I be fired for making a joke about his old age and then a day later go out and make a joke about his own old age,” he said.

Trump continued to press ABC to axe Kimmel in a Truth Social post on Thursday.

“When is ABC Fake News Network firing seriously unfunny Jimmy Kimmel, who incompetently presides over one of the Lowest Rated shows on Television?” he wrote. “People are angry. It better be soon!!! President DJT.”

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