In a rare political agreement, Senator Bernie Sanders, a Vermont independent who caucuses with the Democratic Party, sided with Senator Ted Cruz, a Texas Republican, in criticizing the Federal Communications Commission's (FCC) chair Brendan Carr for pressuring ABC to indefinitely suspend late-night television host Jimmy Kimmel over comments he made about the suspected shooter in Charlie Kirk's assassination.

Newsweek has reached out to Sanders and Cruz's press team for comment via email on Saturday.

Why It Matters

Sanders and Cruz rarely find common ground, and their shared view comes amid backlash over FCC's pressure on ABC to pull Jimmy Kimmel Live! this week on the comedian's commentary about Kirk's suspected assassin. The 31-year-old popular conservative activist was assassinated on September 10 on the campus of Utah Valley University (UVU).

"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 and doing everything they can to score political points from it," Kimmel said during his monologue on Monday, which led to his suspension.

The suspected gunman, 22-year-old Tyler Robinson, was taken into custody last week, and on Sunday, Utah Governor Spencer Cox said on NBC News' Meet the Press the suspect had a "leftist ideology."

Meanwhile, voices across the political spectrum have warned that First Amendment rights are being put at risk by the Trump administration in its handling of views the president does not like.

Senator Bernie Sanders, a Vermont independent who caucuses with the Democratic Party, is seen on September 9 at the U.S. Capitol in Washington, D.C. AP Photo/Mariam Zuhaib

What To Know

In a Saturday X post, sharing an article about Cruz's comments warning that the FCC chair's threats about Kimmel are "dangerous," Sanders wrote: "I don't often agree with Ted Cruz, but he's right about this."

He continued: "The US government can't force Jimmy Kimmel, or anyone else, off the air because they disagree with what he says. Clearly, FCC Chair Carr hasn't read the Constitution. Kimmel should be reinstated. Carr should resign."

Sanders' comments come the day after Cruz likened Carr's comments to a mafia boss on his podcast. The Texas senator said Carr's comments warning ABC's parent company Disney that "we can do this the easy way or the hard way," over Kimmel, was "right out of Goodfellas. That's right out of a mafioso coming into a bar going 'Nice bar you have here. It'd be a shame if something happened to it.'"

Cruz added that he agrees with Carr that Kimmel was misleading the American public with his remarks and was also glad to have him off the air but did not approve of the government's handling of the situation.

He warned that government policing speech set a bad precedent, which would allow Democrats to do the same once they're back in office. "They will silence us," Cruz said. "They will use this power, and they will use it ruthlessly, and that is dangerous."

"If the government gets in the business of saying, 'We don't like what you, the media have said, we're going to ban you from the airwaves if you don't say what we like,' that will end up bad for conservatives," he added.

In the wake of the indefinite suspension of Kimmel's show, Sanders warned in a Thursday X post, "This is what authoritarianism is about: government silencing dissenting voices," adding that "too many people have fought and died to defend freedom. We won't let Trump take it away."

Shortly after taking office in January, Trump called out the Biden administration for having "trampled free speech rights" through censorship, issuing a statement on securing the "right of the American people to engage in constitutionally protected speech."

However, over the past few months, First Amendment free-speech protections have been under scrutiny, as the Trump administration has moved to restrict campus speech, review green card applicants' social media, and now, engage with reactions to Kirk's death.

What People Are Saying

California Democratic Governor Gavin Newsom on X Wednesday: "Buying and controlling media platforms. Firing commentators. Canceling shows. These aren't coincidences. It's coordinated. And it's dangerous. The @GOP does not believe in free speech. They are censoring you in real time."

FCC Chairman Brendan Carr on X Wednesday: "I want to thank Nexstar for doing the right thing. Local broadcasters have an obligation to serve the public interest. While this may be an unprecedented decision, it is important for broadcasters to push back on Disney programming that they determine falls short of community values. I hope that other broadcasters follow Nexstar's lead."

Former Vice President Mike Pence said on Thursday: "The First Amendment though does not protect entertainers who say crass or thoughtless things as Jimmy Kimmel did in the wake of a national tragedy ... I would have preferred that the chairman of the FCC had not weighed in."

Representative Jasmine Crockett, a Texas Democrat, in a press release Thursday: "The Republican Party has demonstrated that free speech clearly isn't free for everyone. The Free Speech Act of 2025 will prevent the FCC from using its power to unlawfully censor voices or force media companies to align with a political agenda.

"That kind of overreach is a direct step toward authoritarianism. It is critical that we add these protections so Americans can freely express their opinions—without fear, without coercion, and regardless of politics."

The Wall Street Journal's editorial board said in a Thursday opinion piece: "Regulatory power in the hands of a willful President can too easily become a weapon against political opponents, including the media. That's what happened Wednesday as Brendan Carr, President Trump's man at the Federal Communications Commission, threatened Disney and its affiliates if they didn't punish late-night host Jimmy Kimmel for comments about Charlie Kirk."

What Happens Next?

Crockett introduced the FREE SPEECH Act on Thursday, seeking to prevent the FCC from taking actions that compel companies it regulates to adopt or suppress particular viewpoints.

Some Disney+ users have canceled subscriptions in protest over the controversy. Kirk's assassination has sparked a slew of free speech debates, leading some employers to terminate workers over their comments, as well as Representative Nancy Mace, a South Carolina Republican, pushing to censure Democratic Representative Ilhan Omar of Minnesota on the matter.