Rosie O'Donnell, the outspoken comedian and actress, has a message for the Federal Communications Commission (FCC) and its chairman, Brendan Carr: she doesn't care. In an interview with Kara Swisher, O'Donnell discussed her upcoming guest hosting gig on ABC's "Jimmy Kimmel Live!" and her ongoing feud with President Donald Trump. When Swisher raised the possibility of the FCC coming after her, O'Donnell remained unfazed.
"I don't listen to them. I don't pay any heed to them," she said, dismissing the agency and its leader as irrelevant. O'Donnell's nonchalance towards the FCC is notable, given the agency's history of targeting media outlets and their hosts. The FCC has been particularly active under Carr, who has taken a hardline stance on issues related to media content and political commentary.
One of the most high-profile incidents involving the FCC and O'Donnell was the agency's threat against ABC and its parent company Disney after Jimmy Kimmel made controversial comments about Charlie Kirk's assassination in 2025. The threat led to a temporary ban of "Jimmy Kimmel Live!" on stations affiliated with Nexstar Media Group and Sinclair Broadcast Group. Disney eventually preempted the show indefinitely before it returned to the air just a week later.
Despite the FCC's actions, O'Donnell seems unbothered. She attributes this to her belief that the agency is more concerned with controlling the narrative rather than enforcing actual regulations. "I wanted to do that on Kimmel, but they just told me I can't, that they couldn’t get permission for the parody because it’s political content," she said, referring to her planned parody of the "Wizard of Oz" song "If I Only Had a Brain."
O'Donnell's rejection of the FCC's authority is a reflection of a broader trend in the media landscape. Many media personalities and outlets have become increasingly vocal in their defiance of the agency's attempts to censor or control content. This resistance is often driven by a belief that the FCC is overstepping its boundaries and infringing on the First Amendment rights of media organizations and their hosts.
In an interview with Fox News Digital, Carr himself acknowledged the pushback from local stations and affiliates against national corporations like Disney. He expressed a desire to see these local stations serve the needs of their communities more effectively, rather than acting as mouthpieces for national programmers. However, O'Donnell's response to the FCC's actions suggests that this pushback may not be enough to deter the agency from its mission to regulate and control media content.
Ultimately, O'Donnell's dismissive attitude towards the FCC and its chairman is a testament to the growing tension between media personalities and the regulatory bodies that seek to control their content. As the FCC continues to assert its authority, it remains to be seen whether this defiance will lead to further clashes or a more cooperative relationship between the agency and the media industry.
