Overview
- Disney-owned ABC was told Tuesday to file years-early renewal applications for eight local stations, including in New York and San Francisco, with a 30‑day window to respond.
- The order followed public demands from President Donald Trump and First Lady Melania Trump that ABC and Disney fire Jimmy Kimmel over a joke about her as a "becoming widow," which they called a call to violence.
- Kimmel stayed on air and said the line was a mild age‑gap roast and not an incitement to murder, and celebrities such as George Clooney defended him as a comedian making a joke.
- The FCC linked the step to ongoing probes of alleged discrimination at Disney/ABC, while Democratic commissioner Anna Gomez called the early review unlawful and noted the agency has not revoked a TV license in more than 40 years.
- Disney said it follows the rules and will seek renewals, possibly in court, as free‑speech groups warn that using license reviews to pressure programming could chill what broadcasters air.