Disney Responds After FCC Targets ABC Licenses Following Trump and Melania Calls to Fire Jimmy Kimmel

Disney responded Tuesday after the Federal Communications Commission ordered an accelerated review of licenses held by ABC-owned television stations, a dramatic regulatory move that came days after President Donald Trump and first lady Melania Trump publicly urged ABC to fire late-night host Jimmy Kimmel over his monologue on Friday, before the now-suspended White House Correspondents' Association Dinner

The FCC ordered Disney to submit early renewal applications for eight ABC-owned stations, including WABC-TV in New York and KABC-TV in Los Angeles, according to Reuters. The licenses were not scheduled for review until between 2028 and 2031, making the order an unusually early intervention by the federal agency.

Disney, ABC's parent company, responded in a statement, saying the company had received the FCC order and was prepared to respond through legal channels.

"We have received the Federal Communications Commission's order initiating an accelerated review of the licenses held by ABC's owned television stations," Disney said. "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."

The company added, "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 action followed a fast-moving clash between the White House and ABC over Kimmel, whose April 23 monologue included a joke that Melania Trump had "a glow like an expectant widow."

A day later, the White House Correspondents' Dinner was suspended after a gunman identified as California resident Cole Allen was arrested heavily armed near the ballroom where the Trumps, most of the cabinet, and much of the Washington press corps were starting their annual dinner.

Melania Trump called Kimmel's comments "hateful and violent rhetoric" and urged ABC to fire him. Donald Trump also demanded Kimmel's termination on Truth Social, calling the joke "far beyond the pale." Kimmel later defended the line as a "light roast" about the couple's age difference and rejected the accusation that it encouraged violence.

Jimmy Kimmel's current clash with the Trump administration is not his first. In September 2025, Jimmy Kimmel was temporarily suspended by ABC after comments tied to the killing of conservative activist Charlie Kirk triggered outrage from right-wing figures and pressure from regulators.

The network pulled Jimmy Kimmel Live! from the air for several days after major affiliate groups and FCC Chairman Brendan Carr criticized the remarks, with some stations refusing to broadcast the show. The suspension was brief, and Kimmel returned within a week after a boycott from the public and many Hollywood figures, but the episode became a defining moment in the growing tension between late-night television, political pressure, and federal oversight.

The FCC has framed the early license review around a separate investigation into Disney's diversity, equity, and inclusion practices. CBS News reported that an FCC official said the order is connected to an ongoing review of possible violations of the Communications Act and rules barring unlawful discrimination.

Still, the timing has fueled criticism that the review is political retaliation. Democratic FCC Commissioner Anna Gomez and other free speech activists have highlighted that the FCC has not revoked a television broadcast license in more than four decades, althought FCC Chair Brendan Carr has previously suggested that license revocation could be on the table in certain cases.