New Delhi, Sept. 23 -- Federal Communications Commission (FCC) Chair Brendan Carr on Monday rejected claims that the government forced Disney to sideline late-night host Jimmy Kimmel, insisting the suspension was related to ratings.

"Jimmy Kimmel is in the situation that he is in because of his ratings, not because of anything that's happened at the federal government level," Carr said at a forum in New York, The New York Post reported.

Carr has faced bipartisan criticism since last week when he warned about Kimmel's comments: "We can do this the easy way or the hard way. These companies can find ways to change conduct and take action, frankly, on Kimmel, or there's going to be additional work for the FCC ahead."

Disney pulled Jimmy Ki...