Sen. Rand Paul slammed FCC Chairman Brendan Carr on Sunday for weighing in on ABC's handling of late-night host Jimmy Kimmel -- while also blasting the late-night host for a false claim about Charlie Kirk's killer.
Paul told NBC's "Meet the Press" on Sunday that Carr, a Trump appointee, crossed a line when he warned ABC to punish Kimmel or face regulatory action.
"Absolutely inappropriate. Brendan Carr has got no business weighing in on this," Paul told "Meet the Press" moderator Kristen Welker. His comments were reported by Mediaite.
But the Kentucky Republican then pivoted to hammer Kimmel over remarks he made on "Jimmy Kimmel Live!" last week.
Paul called the comment "despicable."
"You have the right to say them, but you don't have the right to employment," Paul said.
"Virtually everybody employed, probably including yourself, has a code of conduct in your contract that you have to adhere to," Paul told Welker.
"NFL players have it, Major League Baseball players have it, and if you don't adhere to that conduct, if you say things that are reprehensible, that glorify someone's death or make fun of it in some way, yeah, you can be fired. So the FCC should have nothing to do with it," the senator added.
Kimmel had told viewers that Tyler Robinson, the 22-year-old suspected of killing conservative activist Charlie Kirk, was part of the "MAGA gang."
"We hit some new lows over the weekend with the MAGA gang desperately trying to characterize this kid who murdered Charlie Kirk as anything other than one of them," Kimmel said on Monday's broadcast.
Robinson has been described by Utah authorities as steeped in far-left ideology. Officials said he had a romantic relationship with his transgender roommate, used Antifa slogans and, in recently released texts, admitted shooting Kirk because of his "hatred" for the conservative figure.
The mismatch between Kimmel's claim and investigators' description fueled backlash, particularly among conservative groups and ABC's broadcast affiliates.
By Wednesday, Disney-owned ABC announced Kimmel was suspended.
Nexstar, which owns dozens of ABC affiliates, and Sinclair signaled they would not carry the program unless action was taken.
The suspension came hours after Carr suggested ABC should sideline Kimmel or face possible federal consequences.
"I mean look, we can do this the easy way or the hard way," Carr said in an interview with podcaster Benny Johnson on Wednesday.
"These companies can find ways to change conduct and take action, frankly, on Kimmel, or there's going to be additional work for the FCC ahead."
Paul said that while pressure from advertisers or affiliates is legitimate, FCC involvement is not.
"Any attempt by the government to get involved with speech -- I will fight," Paul said.
The comment from Carr drew bipartisan criticism, with lawmakers and media executives warning against government interference in broadcast content.
Former Disney CEO Michael Eisner accused Carr of "out-of-control intimidation" and said pulling Kimmel after the threat raised questions about whether executives acted in their own "political or financial self-interest".
Sen. Ted Cruz compared Carr's "easy way, hard way" remark to a mob boss line from "Goodfellas."
Disney has not set a timetable for Kimmel's return. Executives have told staff that the suspension could last weeks, depending on political fallout and affiliate concerns.
Kimmel has not publicly apologized or retracted his comments. He has continued posting on social media defending his monologues.
Meanwhile, Robinson remains in custody in Utah, facing murder charges.