Company claims agency targeted ABC stations after Kimmel jokes and critical coverage.
Disney and ABC filed a federal lawsuit Tuesday accusing the Federal Communications Commission of running a “retaliatory campaign” against the network. The suit claims the agency is using license threats to punish ABC for content the Trump administration dislikes, including jokes by Jimmy Kimmel.
In a complaint filed in U.S. District Court in Washington, Disney said the administration “has waged a retaliatory campaign against ABC for a single reason: it disapproves of what ABC broadcasts.” The company seeks a temporary restraining order and preliminary injunction to halt early license renewal proceedings for its eight owned-and-operated ABC stations.
Those stations sit in major markets including New York, Los Angeles, Chicago, Philadelphia, Houston, San Francisco, Raleigh-Durham and Fresno. Their licenses were not due for renewal until 2028–2031. In April, FCC Chairman Brendan Carr ordered Disney to file early renewal applications within 30 days.
Timing Tied to Kimmel
The order came one day after President Trump publicly demanded ABC fire Kimmel. The host had joked in a skit that first lady Melania Trump had “a glow like an expectant widow.” Trump called the remark a “despicable call to violence.”
Carr framed the early review as part of a longer investigation into Disney’s diversity, equity and inclusion practices and possible violations of anti-discrimination rules. Critics, including the lawsuit, call that a pretext. The FCC had not ordered an early license review in more than 50 years.
The complaint traces a pattern of pressure that includes earlier comments by Carr about Kimmel, scrutiny of “The View,” and public calls by Trump for license revocation over ABC’s reporting and programming. Disney argues the moves violate the First Amendment by seeking to coerce editorial decisions.
Business Stakes and Free Speech Fight
Broadcast licenses grant access to public airwaves. Revocations are extremely rare, yet the threat itself can chill programming and raise costs for any company. Disney owns only eight of more than 200 ABC affiliates; the rest belong to other operators. Still, the targeted stations represent key owned-and-operated assets in the country’s largest markets.
Under new CEO Josh D’Amaro, Disney is taking a harder line than it did under Bob Iger, who briefly pulled Kimmel in 2025 amid earlier pressure. The company says it filed the suit “reluctantly” because it sees no other way to stop the regulatory threat without “total capitulation.”
Carr has denied political motivation in past statements, insisting the review stems from the DEI probe and the stations’ public-interest obligations. Neither the FCC nor the White House immediately commented on the lawsuit Tuesday.
The case lands at the intersection of media regulation, corporate free speech and political pressure. Courts will now decide whether the early renewal order crosses constitutional lines or falls within the FCC’s authority to police licensees.
AI Disclosure: This article was created with the assistance of artificial intelligence tools and was reviewed and edited by the Glowls News editorial team before publication.