Inside Jasmine Crockett’s Fight For Free Speech Amid Charlie Kirk Controversy
After Jimmy Kimmel Live! was briefly pulled, Rep. Jasmine Crockett introduced the Free Speech Act of 2025, sparking debate over FCC power.
On Sept. 18, during a House Oversight Committee hearing, Rep. Jasmine Crockett (D-TX) fired off a series of questions aimed at the Trump administration, but in the middle of her of her rebuke, she declared, “Free Jimmy Kimmel.” The same day, she introduced the Free Speech Act of 2025.
Last Friday, the House passed a resolution to honor slain Turning Point USA founder Charlie Kirk who was shot and killed on Utah Valley University’s campus Sept. 10. Fifty-eight Democrats voted in opposition. Two white representatives voted against the resolution—Seth Moulton (D-Mass.) and Mike Quigley (D-Ill.).
During an opening monologue for ABC’s Jimmy Kimmel Live! the host alluded to Charlie Kirk’s shooter being “one of them,” referring to a member of MAGA (Make America Great Again). In response, his show was immediately taken off the air.
Federal Communications Commission Chair Brendan Carr said Kimmel’s remarks were “the sickest conduct possible.”
According to a release for the Free Speech Act, the FCC would no longer, be permitted to base its approval of mergers, licenses, or acquisitions on whether a company’s speech aligns with the political views of the current President.
In addition, the FCC can’t issue rules or directives that require regulated companies—such as broadcasters, telecommunications firms, or internet providers—to promote or silence political viewpoints.
Lastly, the FCC must remain independent, safeguarding a level playing field for speech rather than serving as a political tool for any administration.
“Republicans keep proving that free speech isn’t free for everyone,” Crockett posted in a tweet she published on X. There, she further expounded on her reasons for introducing the Free Speech Act of 2025 “to stop the FCC from being used as a political weapon and to protect the First Amendment.”
When Jimmy Kimmel Live! was taken off air after comments on Charlie Kirk, Rep. Jasmine Crockett responded with the Free Speech Act of 2025. The bill challenges the FCC’s political power—fueling debates over free speech, censorship, and accountability in Congress.(Photo by Kevin Winter/Getty Images)
When Jimmy Kimmel Live! returned to ABC not even a week after being taken off air, Nielson reports, “the show generated 6.26 million total viewers despite significant preemptions across 23% of U.S. TV households.”
On CNN’s State of the Union, Crockett was asked about the resolution that came to the house to honor Charlie Kirk. “That hurt my heart,” Crockett said, “it is unfortunate that even our colleagues couldn’t see how harmful his rhetoric was specifically to us.”
Crockett said a month prior to Kirk’s passing, he’d spoken about her—saying that she was part of a great white replacement.
“I’m not honoring that kind of stuff, especially as a civil rights attorney, and understanding how I got to congress knowing that there were people that died, people that were willing to die, that worked to make sure that voices like mine could exist in this place,” Crockett said.
Crockett’s comments from her appearance on CNN received backlash from right-wing rivals.
Laura Loomer, an avid-Trump supporter retweeted Crockett’s interview adding, “It hurts my heart that we have ghetto black bitches who hate America serving in Congress.”
In an interview with the press, Crockett spoke about the Department of Justice and U.S. Attorney General Pam Bondi utilizing federal law to police speech in light of Kirk’s murder.
“The first amendment is not about speech that you like, it is about protecting speech,” Crockett said. “Maybe we should focus on policing the speech that is more than just speech, but it is leading to actual deaths instead of just looking at what hurts the feelings of conservatives.”
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