Overview
- Trump renewed his demand Thursday on Truth Social that ABC fire Kimmel, writing that it “better be soon,” as Disney kept the show on air.
- The FCC ordered Disney’s eight ABC stations into an early license‑renewal process tied to a DEI probe, with filings due May 28 even though the licenses were not up until 2028–2031, a rare step for the agency.
- Kimmel defended his April 23 monologue as a light roast and not a call to violence, following the April 25 attack at the Correspondents’ Dinner in which Cole Tomas Allen was charged with attempting to assassinate the president.
- Disney said its stations comply with FCC rules and it will defend them in court, while free‑speech advocates and legal scholars said punitive action would likely falter on strong First Amendment grounds.
- Public pressure has mounted, with a MoveOn petition reportedly nearing 19,000 signatures in its first day, as debate grows over whether the government is retaliating against protected satire.