De Niro Parodies FCC Chair on Kimmel Return

On Sept. 23 Jimmy Kimmel returned to Jimmy Kimmel Live! after an “indefinite” hiatus prompted by his remarks about the fatal shooting of conservative commentator Charlie Kirk, and Disney said the show resumed after talks with Kimmel. His comeback featured a surprise virtual cameo from Robert De Niro, who played a mob-style, Trump-aligned fictional FCC chair that lampooned real FCC chair Brendan Carr and framed the regulator as using "mob tactics" to suppress free speech. In the profanity-laced sketch De Niro's character declared "I am the f***ing FCC," told Kimmel to "gently shut the f*** up," and joked the agency would "charge by the word." Major ABC affiliates including Sinclair and Nexstar said they would continue preempting the show in many markets, highlighting a wider dispute over broadcast control and partisan pressure on regulators and broadcasters. The sketch and Kimmel’s emotional monologue reignited debate about the limits of satire, corporate responses, and political influence on broadcasters and regulators, drawing wide media coverage.