The Trump administration and the press: the FCC's pressure on ABC's licenses

The suspension of Jimmy Kimmel brought the dispute into the open. In September 2025, ABC took "Jimmy Kimmel Live!" off the air indefinitely over Kimmel's remarks about the assassination of Charlie Kirk, after Carr warned that his agency could take action against ABC and Disney.^[9][10] Carr told Fox News that ABC affiliates were right to drop the show, saying broadcasters must serve the public interest.^[11] Trump said Kimmel had been "fired" for "lack of talent"^[12] and suggested that networks that cover him negatively could lose their licenses.^[13] Republican senators criticized Carr: Ted Cruz called his threat "unbelievably dangerous" and compared some of his rhetoric to "mafioso" tactics, and Rand Paul called his comments "absolutely inappropriate."^[10][9] Kimmel returned after nearly a week; he did not apologize but clarified his remarks about Kirk,^[14] and Trump threatened to sue ABC over the show's return.^[15] In November, Trump again demanded that ABC take Kimmel off the air, after jokes about Jeffrey Epstein.^[16] Appearing before the Senate Commerce Committee in December, Carr said he had simply been holding broadcasters to a required public interest standard.^[17]

In April 2026, after Kimmel said first lady Melania Trump had "a glow like an expectant widow" and she accused him of "hateful and violent rhetoric," the FCC directed Disney's eight owned-and-operated stations to file their license renewals ahead of schedule, saying the company had engaged in "unlawful discrimination."^[1][18] The agency was also examining whether "The View" must follow equal-time rules, which require broadcasters to give equal airtime to political candidates.^[19] ABC told the FCC in May that its scrutiny threatened to "chill critical protected speech,"^[20] and Anna Gomez, the commission's only Democrat, said Disney was the target of a "campaign of censorship."^[21] In June, ABC ran on-air spots asking viewers to support "The View" and its stations,^[22] and in July it urged the FCC not to place the show under equal-time rules while leaving conservative talk radio alone.^[19] Reports that month said the FCC was preparing to rule that "The View" is not a bona fide news program, overturning more than two decades of regulatory precedent.^[2]

In July 2026, ABC, NBC and CNN declined to carry live Trump's prime-time address on election security, and Trump said ABC and NBC should be stripped of their licenses.^[23] Carr said ABC's decision would be part of the early review of its licenses.^[24] ABC called the review part of an "ongoing retaliation campaign" over its news coverage, and former FCC chairs and senior staff from Republican and Democratic administrations told the agency the proceeding was unconstitutional.^[25][3] On August 18, ABC sued the FCC in federal court in Washington, calling its investigations and regulatory actions part of a "retaliatory campaign" against the network's speech.^[4] Weeks later, Trump said NBC's Kristen Welker would be "reported to the FCC for rebuke or punishment" over a segment he disliked.^[26] At an October hearing, ABC's lawyer asked the judge to stop the early license review, likening it to a looming execution by guillotine.^[5] Later in October, Carr warned broadcasters not to air "fake polls," as a polling organization admitted that most of its data had been fabricated.^[27] Critics said he was echoing Trump.^[28] Trump's defamation suits against news organizations, including the one ABC settled in 2024, are covered in a separate arc.