FCC Chair Brendan Carr used a goofy meme from The Office to celebrate pausing Jimmy Kimmel’s late-night talk show. Carr had threatened to remove ABC’s broadcasting license in an interview with MAGA YouTuber Benny Johnson on Wednesday over comments Kimmel made after the murder of right-wing activist Charlie Kirk. Carr claimed Kimmel leaned into a “narrative” that the suspect in the killing was a “MAGA or Republican motivated person.” Later on Wednesday, as ABC confirmed it was pausing Jimmy Kimmel Live!, CNN media analyst Brian Stelter took to X to share a new comment from Carr after ABC’s decision; a meme from NBC comedy The Office. In the meme, teve Carell as Michael and Rainn Wilson as Dwight are making “raise the roof” party gestures by lifting their hands to the ceiling. Johnson commented under Stelter’s post, adding, “This is me and Brendan Carr right now.” Carr followed the news by thanking Nexstar, which operates ABC-affiliated stations, for agreeing to pull Kimmel. “Local broadcasters have an obligation to serve the public interest,” Carr said. “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.” He added, “I hope that other broadcasters follow Nexstar’s lead.”
