The FCC is going after the broadcast licenses of Disney-owned ABC stations | The Verge
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The FCC is going after the broadcast licenses of Disney-owned ABC stations
The agency demands that Disney’s ABC stations renew their licenses early after late-night host Jimmy Kimmel called Melania Trump an ‘expectant widow.’
The agency demands that Disney’s ABC stations renew their licenses early after late-night host Jimmy Kimmel called Melania Trump an ‘expectant widow.’
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The Federal Communications Commission has ordered the ABC stations owned and operated by Disney to file for an early license renewal, as reported earlier by The New York Times. In a filing on Tuesday, the FCC claims it made the decision as part of an investigation into Disney’s policies on diversity, equity, and inclusivity (DEI).
The move comes just one day after President Donald Trump demanded ABC fire late-night talk show host Jimmy Kimmel, who called Melania Trump an “expectant widow” in a skit, ahead of the alleged assassination attempt at the White House Correspondents’ Dinner.
Disney wasn’t set to renew its broadcast licenses until 2028, according to NBC News. The entertainment giant controls ABC stations in eight major markets, including Los Angeles, New York, Chicago, Houston, and Philadelphia. Disney now has until May 28th to file license renewals for all of its ABC stations. As noted by the NYT, “it is extremely difficult for the government to take away stations’ rights to broadcast. And even if the FCC does block ABC’s broadcast license renewal, Disney would be able to challenge the decision in court while its TV stations continue broadcasting, the NYT reports.
“The FCC determines that calling in Disney’s ABC licenses for early renewal, at this time, under the Communications Act’s public interest standard is essential within the meaning of agency regulations,” the filing says. Disney didn’t immediately respond to The Verge’s request for comment.
Former FCC staffers agree: Brendan Carr needs to be stopped
Since Trump came into office in 2025, FCC Chair Brendan Carr has used his position to target broadcasters airing content that doesn’t align with the current administration. Last year, the FCC opened an investigation into Disney over Carr’s “concerns” that the company’s diversity, equity, and inclusivity (DEI) practices were “violating FCC equal employment opportunity regulations.” Carr later threatened to pull the broadcast licenses of stations that aired Jimmy Kimmel Live! after the late-night host commented on the man charged with killing Charlie Kirk. Disney took Jimmy Kimmel Live! off the air following Carr’s threat and reinstated the show days later.
Carr most recently threatened news stations for their coverage of the war in Iran and said “broadcasters must operate in the public interest, and they will lose their licenses if they do not.” The chairman later attempted to clarify his statement, claiming the agency doesn’t have plans to pull broadcast licenses, and that “the only thing we’ve ever talked about pulling broadcast licenses are for operators that aren’t operating in the public interest, that are doing broadcast hoax, news distortion.”
“This is unprecedented, unlawful, and going nowhere,” Anna Gomez, the FCC’s only Democrat commissioner, said in response to Semafor’s initial report about Carr’s plan to review Disney’s broadcast licenses. “This political stunt won’t stick. Companies should challenge it head-on. The First Amendment is on their side.”
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