As Kimmel returns to his show — and Sinclair Broadcasting, the biggest ABC affiliate group, opts to preempt it — Paul was asked on NBC's Meet the Press whether he supports FCC Brendan Carr's comments that kicked off the suspension.
The senator described Carr's remarks as "absolutely inappropriate," adding the chair has "no business weighing in on this."
Paul has stressed that many employers and universities have codes of conduct employees must follow, and firing people for violations is within the law.
"People have to also realize that despicable comments — you have the right to say them, but you don't have the right to employment," Paul told NBC.
Pressed on President Donald Trump's recent remarks suggesting critical television coverage of him is “illegal," Paul reiterated his opposition to government interference in free speech rights, but leveled most of his criticism at Biden and what Paul sees as efforts under that administration to silence alternate opinions during the pandemic.
"I can't control everything the president says and I don't think that having the FCC weigh in on licenses is right. I will fight that," Paul said. "But I can tell you that throughout government the censorship apparatus that Biden had put in place is gone... They have stopped doing it."
Paul said he doesn't think it's right for Republicans or Democrats to engage in government-directed censorship, but he stopped short of directly condemning Trump by name in the interview.