Rosie ODonnell dismisses FCC as threat ahead of guest-hosting Kimmels show
Rosie ODonnell was asked whether she believes FCC Chairman Brendan Carr or his agency will affect her upcoming guest-host spot on ABCs "Jimmy Kimmel Live!"
Rosie O'Donnell told Kara Swisher Monday that she isn't worried about the Federal Communications Commission (FCC) or FCC Chairman Brendan Carr ahead of a guest hosting stint on ABC's "Jimmy Kimmel Live!"
The former TV personality discussed her plans for appearing on Kimmel's show on Swisher's podcast. The conversation eventually led to O'Donnell's ongoing feud with President Donald Trump and whether his administration could go after the broadcast.
"Let me ask you, are you worried that Trump, speaking of doing things, he'll obviously be watching you because he's riveted to you in some fashion... Are you worried about any FCC?" Swisher asked. "They went after ABC. They went after ‘The View.’ They're continuing to go after 'The View,' but are you worried about the FCC under Brendan Carr?"
Comedian and actress Rosie O'Donnell is set to guest host ABC's "Jimmy Kimmel Live!" later this month. (Paula Lobo/NBC via Getty Images)
"Doing what?" O'Donnell asked.
"Coming after you on the show, for example, doing anything?" Swisher clarified.
"No. What are they going to say? That you can't say that?" O'Donnell said.
Swisher claimed that Carr, whom she referred to as a "moron," was "saying" things like that, but O'Donnell continued to dismiss him as a threat.
"Well, I don't listen to them. I don't pay any heed to them," O'Donnell said.
Though she did not express any concern regarding repercussions for her time as host, O'Donnell revealed that the network had already rejected her Trump-related parody of the "Wizard of Oz" song "If I Only Had a Brain."
"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. And I was like, 'Well, that is absurd to me because we used to do parodies every day on my show,'" O'Donnell said.
Federal Communications Commission Commissioner Brendan Carr threatened "Jimmy Kimmel Live!" after Kimmel's remarks on Charlie Kirk's assassination in 2025. (Al Drago/Bloomberg via Getty Images)
A source familiar with the situation informed Fox News Digital that the song has not yet been rejected but is instead in the process of copyright clearance.
Fox News Digital also reached out to the FCC for comment.
O'Donnell is set to host one week of episodes for Kimmel's talk show beginning Aug. 17 during the host's two-month vacation. Other guest hosts, according to Kimmel, will include Tiffany Haddish, Colman Domingo, Ike Barinholtz, Anthony Anderson and Jelly Roll.
In 2025, Carr issued a threat against ABC and its parent company Disney, citing the potential "avenues" the FCC could pursue after Kimmel sparked outrage for his comments regarding Charlie Kirk's assassination. After companies like Nexstar Media Group and Sinclair Broadcast Group vowed to ban "Jimmy Kimmel Live!" on its stations following his comments, Disney announced it would preempt his show "indefinitely" before the show eventually returned to air one week later.
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In an interview with Fox News Digital in February, Carr said that he feels "no regrets" for his original comments and instead felt glad that local stations and affiliates pushed back against corporations like Disney.
Rosie O'Donnell rejected any concerns about the FCC targeting her show. (Jamie McCarthy/Getty Images)
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"In fact, I want to see more of that," Carr said. "I think these local affiliates have become simply mouthpieces in too many cases for Disney and other national programmers. I don't think we're better off as a country for that. And so I really want to see those local TV stations actually serve the needs of their community."
Fox News' Joseph A. Wulfsohn contributed to this report.
