{"id":23838,"date":"2026-04-29T04:51:51","date_gmt":"2026-04-29T04:51:51","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/nationalgunowner.org\/index.php\/2026\/04\/29\/kimmel-uproar-spills-over-abc-stations-now-under-review-what-it-means-for-your-tv\/"},"modified":"2026-04-29T04:51:51","modified_gmt":"2026-04-29T04:51:51","slug":"kimmel-uproar-spills-over-abc-stations-now-under-review-what-it-means-for-your-tv","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/nationalgunowner.org\/index.php\/2026\/04\/29\/kimmel-uproar-spills-over-abc-stations-now-under-review-what-it-means-for-your-tv\/","title":{"rendered":"Kimmel Uproar Spills Over, ABC Stations Now Under Review. What It Means For Your TV."},"content":{"rendered":"


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The Federal Communications Commission is challenging Disney\u2019s broadcast licenses as the Trump administration ramps up pressure on ABC to fire Jimmy Kimmel.<\/span><\/p>\n

An<\/span> FCC official confirmed to The Daily Wire<\/span><\/a> that ABC\u2019s licenses are undergoing an early review, despite the standard renewal process that\u2019s still several years off. Broadcast stations, including ABC, cannot operate over publicly owned airwaves without FCC licensing.<\/span><\/p>\n

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NEW: FCC orders the Walt Disney Company, American Broadcasting Company, and television subsidiaries to file early license renewal applications for their television stations.<\/p>\n

\u201cThe FCC has been investigating The Walt Disney Company, its American Broadcasting Company, and its\u2026 pic.twitter.com\/8KZzuyMIsX<\/a><\/p>\n

\u2014 Mary Margaret Olohan (@MaryMargOlohan) April 28, 2026<\/a><\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n

The FCC has already scrutinized ABC\u2019s broadcast license in connection with the company\u2019s diversity, equity, and inclusion (DEI) hiring practices. In an April 28 order, David J. Brown, chief of the video division, said the FCC has been investigating the Walt Disney Company for compliance violations.<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cSpecifically, the FCC has been investigating Disney\u2019s ABC stations for possible violations of the Communications Act of 1934 and the FCC\u2019s rules, including the agency\u2019s prohibition on unlawful discrimination. While Disney\u2019s ABC has purported to respond to two FCC Letters of Inquiry Federal Communications Commission DA 26-416 2 (LOIs) as part of this investigation, the FCC has determined that additional actions are appropriate at this time,\u201d Brown said.<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cThe FCC determines that calling in Disney\u2019s ABC licenses for early renewal, at this time, under the Communications Act\u2019s public interest standard is essential within the meaning of agency regulations,\u201d the order stated.<\/span><\/p>\n

Disney will be required to file renewals for all of its licensed TV stations by May 28, 2026.<\/span><\/p>\n

A Disney spokesperson confirmed the order and vowed the company will fight it.<\/p>\n

\u201cABC 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\u2011interest programming. We are confident that record demonstrates our continued qualifications as licensees under the Communications Act and the First Amendment, and are prepared to show that through the appropriate legal channels,\u201d the company said in a statement to The Daily Wire.<\/span><\/p>\n

If the FCC starts pressuring or reviewing licenses, local ABC stations could be forced to change how they operate \u2014 what they air, how they cover stories, even who they hire. That can trickle down into less freedom in programming or more cautious, filtered content. For everyday Americans, it could mean the news and entertainment you see is shaped more by regulatory pressure than just editorial decisions \u2014 especially on major networks you already watch every day.<\/p>\n

The escalating FCC-Disney feud comes as conservatives called on the network to oust late-night host Jimmy Kimmel for joking that First Lady Melania Trump looked like an \u201cexpectant widow\u201d \u2014 just days before a gunman attempted to assassinate President Trump at the White House Correspondents\u2019 dinner.<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cHis monologue about my family isn\u2019t comedy \u2014 his words are corrosive and deepens the political sickness within America,\u201d the First Lady said in a rare rebuke. \u201cPeople like Kimmel shouldn\u2019t have the opportunity to enter our homes each evening to spread hate.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cA coward, Kimmel hides behind ABC because he knows the network will keep running cover to protect him,\u201d she added. \u201cEnough is enough. It is time for ABC to take a stand. How many times will ABC\u2019s leadership enable Kimmel\u2019s atrocious behavior at the expense of our community,\u201d she added.<\/span><\/p>\n

Soon after, the president piled on, saying Kimmel \u201cshould be immediately fired by Disney and ABC.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n

In a Monday night monologue, a defiant Kimmel defended his remarks and refused to apologize.<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cIt was a very light roast joke about the fact that he\u2019s almost 80 and she\u2019s younger than I am,\u201d he said. \u201cIt was not by any stretch of the definition a call to assassination.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cI\u2019ve been very vocal for many years speaking out against gun violence, in particular,\u201d he said. \u201cBut I understand that the First Lady had a stressful experience over the weekend \u2026 and probably every weekend is pretty stressful in that house. And also, I agree that hateful and violent rhetoric is something we should reject. I do. And I think a great place to start to dial that back would be to have a conversation with your husband about it.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n<\/div>\n