Mike Johnson Breaks Down Why ABC Did Not Violate Free Speech

House Speaker Mike Johnson defended ABC’s decision on Fox News Thursday to suspend late-night host Jimmy Kimmel, arguing that the network acted within its rights.

ABC indefinitely pulled Kimmel’s late-night show Wednesday after the Nexstar Media Group preempted the program across its affiliates in response to his comments on Charlie Kirk’s assassination. In an interview on “Special Report with Bret Baier,” Johnson said companies like ABC have authority to set and enforce rules for their employees, particularly when comments cross into territory that could “incite further violence.”

“My background is in the courts. I was a federal court litigator, literally defended free speech as a career for about 20 years, religious freedom and the freedom of speech and our fundamental rights. We have to jealously guard that, you know,” Johnson told Baier. “And I think we are. ABC is a private company. You’ve heard a lot of consternation about private companies firing or reprimanding employees for going online and glorifying the tragic death of a young father and young husband, and it’s detestable.”

Johnson said ABC acted within its rights when it suspended Kimmel, adding that private employers can enforce standards for their brand and that such actions do not violate the First Amendment. (RELATED: ‘Where’s The Joke?’: Scott Jennings Explains How Jimmy Kimmel Suspension Exposes Deeper Problems In Media)

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“In the private employer space, you have all the right in the world to have standards for your company, standards for your broadcast brand. And, you know, they get to make that decision. And I don’t think that’s a violation of the First Amendment. You don’t have a First Amendment right to stay employed if you’re going to engage in that kind of crazy action online, and, in many cases, it really is inciting further violence. It’s a serious problem.”

Top congressional Democrats demanded Thursday that Federal Communications Commission (FCC) Chair Brendan Carr resign, accusing President Donald Trump and his appointees of weaponizing the federal government against political opponents. House Oversight ranking member Robert Garcia launched a probe into Kimmel’s indefinite suspension.

Democrats railed against the cancellation of Kimmel’s show. But Democratic Pennsylvania Sen. John Fetterman criticized his party for amplifying outrage over Kimmel’s suspension, saying they should focus instead on preventing the “chaos” that a government shutdown would unleash nationwide.

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