Overview
- Disney’s ABC was directed Tuesday to file early license renewal applications for its eight owned stations by May 28, 2026, as the FCC cited an inquiry into possible Communications Act violations and unlawful discrimination.
- ABC and parent Disney said they will defend their record as licensees and are not planning to suspend or fire Jimmy Kimmel, while Kimmel called his “expectant widow” line a joke about age, not a call to violence.
- President Trump and First Lady Melania Trump publicly demanded ABC dismiss Kimmel after his April 23 monologue, a push that followed a gunman’s attempt to breach the White House Correspondents’ Dinner; Cole Tomas Allen has been charged with attempted assassination.
- Early, company‑wide license reviews are rare because broadcast renewals typically occur every eight years and hinge on proof of serious or repeated violations, and any punitive FCC decision would likely face immediate court challenges that could take years.
- Press‑freedom groups and legal scholars warned of First Amendment risks, a MoveOn petition gathered nearly 19,000 signatures within a day, and even Republican Sen. Ted Cruz said the government should not act as “speech police.”