FCC Chairman Brendan Carr joined Sean Hannity on Fox News Wednesday night to explain why Jimmy Kimmels late-night TV show was abruptly suspended following backlash over his controversial comments about the assassination of Turning Point USA co-founder Charlie Kirk.Carr stressed that broadcast networks like ABC operate with a license that has a "unique obligation to operate in the public interest," unlike cable channels such as CNN."Broadcasters are different than any other form of communication," Carr said, pointing to affiliate groups like Nexstar and Sinclair that announced they would no longer carry "Jimmy Kimmel Live." He argued that local stations acted appropriately, saying they were "standing up to serve the interests of their community.""Over the years, the FCC walked away from enforcing that public interest obligation," Carr said. "I dont think were better off as a country for it."DISNEY SAYS JIMMY KIMMEL'S SHOW 'WILL BE PRE-EMPTED INDEFINITELY' FOLLOWING CHARLIE KIRK ASSASSIN COMMENTSHannity pressed Carr on whether broadcasters had been abusing their licenses by advancing partisan agendas."They went from going for applause, from laugh lines to applause lines. They went from being court jesters that would make fun of everybody in power to being court clerics and enforcing a very narrow political ideology," Carr asserted.Carr pointed to what he described as years of "narrow, partisan circus" programming and said the FCC was working to reinvigorate enforcement of the public interest obligation. He called Nexstar and Sinclairs decisions "unprecedented."FCC CHAIR LEVELS THREAT AGAINST ABC, DISNEY AFTER KIMMEL SUGGESTED CHARLIE KIRK ASSASSIN WAS 'MAGA'"This action today by Nexstar and Sinclair, frankly, it is unprecedented," said Carr. "I cant imagine another time when weve had local broadcasters tell what we call a national programmer like Disney that your content no longer meets the needs and the values of our community."The controversy erupted after Kimmel suggested that conservatives were trying to deflect responsibility from "the MAGA gang" in connection with the arrest of 22-year-old Tyler Robinson, the suspect accused in Charlie Kirks killing.Nexstar, which is awaiting FCC approval on a multibillion-dollar acquisition, announced it would preempt Kimmels show "for the foreseeable future." Hours later, Disney confirmed ABC would suspend the program indefinitely.The ACLU blasted the move, accusing the Trump administration of using federal pressure to silence critics. "This is beyond McCarthyism," said Christopher Anders, the groups democracy and technology director, warning of a "grave threat to our First Amendment freedoms."CLICK HERE TO GET THE FOX NEWS APPCarr told Hannity the shift reflected market realities, arguing that late-night shows had alienated broad audiences by prioritizing politics over comedy."You cant avoid ratings," Carr said. "At the end of the day, the market is going to be undefeated."Fox News Digital's Joseph A. Wulfsohn contributed to this report.