Disney goes ballistic in 109-page attack on Trump administration as TV stations hang on a knife’s edge

Disney has escalated its showdown with the FCC after the agency launched an early review of licenses for its eight ABC stations for allegedly violating anti-discrimination requirements.

In a 109-page filing, the entertainment giant claimed the move was retaliation over its programming following a series of attacks on President Trump by Jimmy Kimmel.

The FCC has maintained the inquiry stems from its probe into internal DEI programs, which regulators have been examining as part of the Trump administration’s broader crackdown across corporate America.

The commission has also separately questioned whether ABC’s daytime talk show “The View” should continue receiving a longstanding exemption from equal-time rules that apply to political programming.

The FCC in April launched an early review of the licenses for ABC stations, including KABC-TV in LA, WABC-TV in New York, as well as stations in San Francisco, Fresno, Houston and Philadelphia.

If those licenses were revoked, it would force several of the network’s largest local stations off the air, dealing a major blow to ABC’s nationwide broadcasting operations.

Disney’s attorneys claimed in the new filing: “The retaliation against ABC is a signal to every media company in the country: accommodate the Administration’s view of what news coverage should look like or pay the price.”

The dispute over “The View” began after the show interviewed Texas Democratic Senate candidate James Talarico in February, prompting questions from the FCC about whether rival candidates were entitled to equal airtime under federal broadcast law.

Carr subsequently opened an inquiry into whether the program qualifies for the equal-time exemption afforded to bona fide news interview programs.

In May, ABC and its Houston affiliate asked the FCC to reaffirm a 2002 agency ruling that designated “The View” a bona fide news interview program exempt from the equal-time requirement.

ABC escalated the fight earlier this month, arguing in reply comments that the FCC was attempting to insert itself into the network’s editorial decisions.

“The First Amendment does not permit the government to sit in an editor’s chair,” the ABC filing states.

Semafor reported earlier this month “The View” has quietly scaled back bookings of candidates running in competitive races while the FCC’s review remains pending.

The outlet also reported that producers declined a request from New York City Mayor Zohran Mamdani’s team to host the mayor alongside Democratic congressional nominees Darializa Avila Chevalier and Claire Valdez while proceeding cautiously amid the FCC inquiry.

Meanwhile, conservative organizations including the Media Research Center, America First Legal, the Center for American Rights and the Article III Project have urged the FCC to deny renewal of ABC’s broadcast licenses, accusing the network of political bias and failing to serve the public interest.

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