The FCC announced on Tuesday that it has been investigating Disney and subsidiaries like ABC for possible compliance violations tied to its obligations as a licensed broadcaster. The probe comes a day after President Donald Trump called for ABC to fire late-night host Jimmy Kimmel for a joke he made about First Lady Melania Trump being an “expectant widow,” two days before the president was targeted in another assassination attempt.

“Specifically, the FCC has been investigating Disney’s ABC stations for possible violations of the Communications Act of 1934 and the FCC’s rules, including the agency’s prohibition on unlawful discrimination,” Tuesday’s filing said.

The filing said, “Disney’s ABC is hereby directed to file license renewals for all of their licensed TV stations within 30 days–in other words, by May 28, 2026.” It listed TV stations like KABC in Los Angeles and WABC in New York among other big market stations in the document. The FCC’s video division chief, David J. Brown, sent the filing; FCC Commissioner Brendan Carr is not listed in it — neither is Kimmel.

Read the full filing below:

By the Chief, Video Division, Media Bureau:

1. The FCC has been investigating The Walt Disney Company, its American Broadcasting Company, and its subsidiaries (collectively, “Disney’s ABC”) for compliance with its obligations as a licensed broadcaster. Specifically, the FCC has been investigating Disney’s ABC stations for possible violations of the Communications Act of 1934 and the FCC’s rules, including the agency’s prohibition on unlawful discrimination. While Disney’s ABC has purported to respond to two FCC Letters of Inquiry(LOIs) as part of this investigation, the FCC has determined that additional actions are appropriate at this time.

2. Specifically, FCC rules provide that whenever the FCC regards an application for a renewal of a license as essential to the proper conduct of an investigation, the FCC has the authority to call the broadcaster’s licenses in for early renewal.1 Doing so both allows the FCC to conduct its ongoing investigation and enables the FCC to ensure that the broadcaster has been meeting its public interest obligations more broadly.

3. The FCC determines that calling in Disney’s ABC licenses for early renewal, at this time, under the Communications Act’s public interest standard2 is essential within the meaning of agency regulations. Therefore, Disney’s ABC is hereby directed to file license renewals for all of their licensed TV stations within 30 days–in other words, by May 28, 2026.

FEDERAL COMMUNICATIONS COMMISSION

David J. Brown Chief,

Video Division Media Bureau

The filing comes shortly after Semafor and CNN’s Brian Stelter reported the FCC was launching a probe into ABC’s licenses.

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