FCC Orders ABC License Review Amid Jimmy Kimmel Controversy

One day after President Donald Trump and First Lady Melania Trump called on ABC to fire Jimmy Kimmel, the Federal Communications Commission has ordered Disney to seek early renewal of the broadcast licenses for all eight of the network’s owned-and-operated stations.

The FCC, under the leadership of Trump-appointed chair Brendan Carr, released the order Tuesday afternoon, formally confirming reports earlier in the day that the agency was preparing to take the unusual step of accelerating review of ABC’s station licenses years ahead of their normal renewal timeline.

In its order, the FCC said the move stems from an ongoing investigation into Disney and ABC over alleged discriminatory practices, citing “possible violations of the Communications Act of 1934 and the FCC’s rules, including the agency’s prohibition on unlawful discrimination.”

The FCC did not detail the specific conduct at issue in Tuesday’s order. But the agency has been scrutinizing corporate diversity, equity, and inclusion initiatives under the Trump administration, which has broadly moved to dismantle DEI programs across both the federal government and private sector, arguing that some diversity-focused hiring initiatives amount to unlawful discrimination.

“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 order states.

ABC has been directed to file renewal applications for all eight of its owned-and-operated stations—including New York’s WABC-TV, Los Angeles’ KABC-TV, Chicago’s WLS-TV, and San Francisco’s KGO-TV—within 30 days, by May 28.

Those licenses were originally scheduled to be renewed between 2028 and 2031.

The FCC’s action comes amid escalating political pressure on ABC and Kimmel following a joke he made during last Thursday night’s Jimmy Kimmel Live!, in which he imagined himself hosting this year’s White House Correspondents’ Dinner and remarked—amid other roast-style jokes about Trump and his family—that Melania Trump had “the glow” of “an expectant widow.”

The joke drew scrutiny after an armed man allegedly attempted to breach the actual White House Correspondents’ Dinner over the weekend before being apprehended at the scene.

On Monday, Melania Trump condemned Kimmel, writing on X that “People like Kimmel shouldn’t have the opportunity to enter our homes each evening to spread hate,” while calling on ABC to “take a stand.”

Later that day, the president escalated the criticism, calling Kimmel’s joke a “call to violence” and demanding that Disney and ABC fire the late-night host “immediately.”

Kimmel responded during his monologue Monday night, pushing back on accusations that his joke encouraged violence.

“It was obviously a joke about their age difference, and the look of joy we see on her face every time they’re together,” Kimmel said.

“It was a very light roast joke about the fact that he’s almost 80 and she’s younger than I am. It was not by any stretch of the definition a call to assassination. And they know that.”

Disney pushed back on the FCC’s move in a statement Tuesday.

“We have received the Federal Communications Commission’s order initiating an accelerated review of the licenses held by ABC’s owned television stations,” a Disney spokesperson told LateNighter.

“ABC and its stations have a long record of operating in full compliance with FCC rules and serving their local communities with trusted news, emergency information, and public-interest programming. We are confident that record demonstrates our continued qualifications as licensees under the Communications Act and the First Amendment and are prepared to show that through the appropriate legal channels. Our focus remains, as always, on serving viewers in the local communities where our stations operate.”

The FCC’s full order can be viewed below: