Disney Remains Positive About License Renewal Review with Trump’s FCC After Recent Kimmel Controversy

In a significant development, Brendan Carr and the Federal Communications Commission (FCC) announced on Tuesday a swift review of the broadcasting licenses held by The Walt Disney Company, impacting ABC’s owned television stations. Despite the swirling controversies, particularly following the recent backlash from Donald Trump and his supporters, Disney appears to be adopting a measured response for the time being.

Immediately following the FCC’s directive, which demands that Disney submits license renewals for its television stations within 30 days, Disney stated, “We have received the Federal Communications Commission’s order initiating an accelerated review of the licenses held by ABC’s owned television stations.” This order mandates that all renewal paperwork be completed by May 28, significantly earlier than the original renewal timeline of 2028 and 2031.

In its response, Disney emphasized its longstanding commitment to adherence to FCC regulations, noting, “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 expressed confidence in its qualification as licensees under the Communications Act and the First Amendment, promising to address the issue through appropriate legal channels.

The FCC, currently led by Trump ally Carr, has been scrutinizing Disney’s diversity, equity, and inclusion initiatives. However, the timing of the FCC’s order raises questions, as it closely follows Melania Trump’s public condemnation of a joke made by Jimmy Kimmel regarding her and the former president, which she deemed offensive.

Shortly after her remarks, Donald Trump voiced his own outrage, urging ABC to terminate Kimmel, who has been a persistent critic of the former reality TV star. On a recent episode of his show, Kimmel defended his comments, clarifying, “It was a very light roast joke about the fact that he’s almost 80 and she’s younger than I am. It was not, by any stretch of the definition, a call to assassination, and they know that.” Kimmel also expressed understanding for the first lady’s recent stress, given the events surrounding the White House Correspondents’ Dinner.

Kimmel’s planned guest for Monday’s show, mentalist Oz Pearlman, was notably absent, but reports suggest that Kimmel’s program will continue airing as scheduled in the coming days.