FCC Orders Early Review of ABC Licenses Amid Kimmel Controversy
FCC Chair Brendan Carr says the review targets Disney's DEI practices, not Jimmy Kimmel, after Kimmel's April 23 monologue; Disney must comply by May 28.
NBC NewsFCC head says agency wasn't pressured to order review of ABC broadcast licenses
Daily BeastTrump Goon Makes Eyebrow-Raising Excuse for Attack on ABC
New York PostFCC’s Brendan Carr says Disney TV license review is about DEI, not Jimmy Kimmel
The GuardianFCC chair denies ABC license review is related to Kimmel controversy
Overview
FCC Chairman Brendan Carr said the agency ordered an early review of ABC's eight owned-and-operated station licenses based on a yearlong probe into Disney's diversity, equity and inclusion practices, not pressure over Jimmy Kimmel.
The review was announced a day after President Donald Trump publicly demanded ABC fire Jimmy Kimmel for a joke Kimmel made on his April 23 show.
First Amendment advocates criticized the order as retaliatory, FCC Commissioner Anna M. Gomez called it 'clearly a pretext,' and Bob Corn-Revere said the DEI explanation was a 'fig leaf.'
The FCC opened its Disney probe in March 2025, its Comcast/NBCUniversal probe in February 2025, and Disney, which owns eight stations, must comply by May 28.
Disney said it will contest the order through legal channels, and Commissioner Anna M. Gomez said the renewal process could take years.
Analysis
Center-leaning sources frame the story as a politically tinged regulatory controversy, emphasizing Carr’s denial while foregrounding skepticism from First Amendment advocates and noting White House criticism of Kimmel. Editorial choices—charged verbs and contextual references to Trump appointee status and timing—tilt coverage toward questioning the FCC’s stated motives.