FCC Orders Early Review Of ABC Licenses After Kimmel Joke
FCC told Disney/ABC to file early renewals after Jimmy Kimmel joked about Melania Trump and the Trumps called for his firing; order followed an attempted attack near the White House Correspondents' Dinner.
Washington TimesFCC reviews ABC stations’ broadcast licenses after Kimmel’s ‘expectant widow’ comment
PJ MediaThe FCC’s Bad News for Disney/ABC: The Time for Playing Nice Is Over
Raw StoryTed Cruz fires warning shot at Trump's FCC
RedStateGrab the Popcorn: Trump Pressure Builds As FCC Orders Early Review of ABC Licenses After Kimmel Blowup
Overview
The Federal Communications Commission ordered The Walt Disney Company to file early license-renewal applications for its ABC television stations, the agency said.
The order followed a Jimmy Kimmel joke about First Lady Melania Trump and calls by President Donald Trump and the first lady for Kimmel to be fired, and came after an attempted attack near the White House Correspondents' Dinner.
Disney said its ABC stations have a long record of compliance with FCC rules, FCC Commissioner Anna M. Gomez called the order "unprecedented, unlawful," and White House Communications Director Steven Cheung urged Kimmel be "shunned for the rest of his life."
The FCC's order directed Disney to file renewals within deadlines cited in its documents, including a May 28 date and a 30-day filing window, and noted the stations' licenses were not scheduled for renewal until 2028.
A group of former FCC chairs and the Radio Television Digital News Association filed a petition in the U.S. Court of Appeals for the D.C. Circuit seeking repeal of the FCC's News Distortion policy, court filings show.
Analysis
Center-leaning sources present largely neutral coverage, attributing charged language to named actors and balancing perspectives. They report FCC actions, Disney’s defence, critical comments from an FCC commissioner and expert context, and Trump and Kimmel statements. The structure emphasizes reported statements and background over editorial judgment, limiting framing.