ABC and its parent company, The Walt Disney Company, have filed a First Amendment lawsuit against the Federal Communications Commission, accusing the Trump administration of using its regulatory power to retaliate against the network over its news coverage and programming.
Filed Tuesday in U.S. District Court in Washington, D.C., the 46-page suit challenges the FCC’s scrutiny of Jimmy Kimmel’s late-night show and “The View,” along with an order requiring eight ABC-owned stations to begin renewing their broadcast licenses years early. ABC says the licenses do not expire until 2028 to 2031 and that the FCC hadn’t required an early review in more than 50 years.
The network argues the accelerated reviews are routine oversight, but that they are also an effort to pressure the network over what it covers and airs. It points to President Donald Trump’s repeated calls to revoke ABC’s licenses over what he considers biased coverage, as well as actions and comments from FCC Chairman Brendan Carr.
“Again and again, the Administration has attacked ABC’s speech—the stories its journalists report and the viewpoints its network programs air,” ABC’s lawyers wrote in the lawsuit.
The suit specifically cites Carr’s comments about Kimmel. After Kimmel criticized Trump and his supporters over their response to conservative activist Charlie Kirk’s killing in September 2025, Carr criticized the host and warned ABC it could “take action” against Kimmel or face “additional work” from the FCC. “Jimmy Kimmel Live!” was suspended from September 17 through September 22 over the host’s remarks about Kirk before returning September 23 after Disney said it had “thoughtful conversations” with him.
ABC and Disney sued the FCC Tuesday, accusing the Trump administration of retaliating over the network’s coverage and programming (AFP/Getty)
The lawsuit comes nearly a year after Trump’s attacks over Jimmy Kimmel’s comments about Charlie Kirk’s killing led ABC to suspend the late-night show for less than a week (Disney)ABC also says the FCC has targeted “The View” over its political content and treatment of candidates. The network argues the scrutiny has affected the show, noting that no political candidates have appeared on “The View” since the FCC began questioning its exemption from federal equal-opportunity rules following Democratic Texas state Sen. James Talarico’s appearance in February.
The lawsuit also challenges an FCC investigation into ABC and Disney’s employment practices. ABC says the agency has made more than 600 requests for information and received more than 13,000 pages of documents, while arguing that many of the requests exceed the FCC’s authority.
The government’s actions have already had a chilling effect on its editorial decisions, ABC claims. It points to its handling of Trump’s July 16 address, saying it livestreamed the speech on ABC News Live rather than airing it live on the traditional network, a decision it says it ordinarily would not have made.
ABC is asking the court to declare the accelerated license reviews unconstitutional, stop the proceedings and prevent the government from threatening or coercing the network over its editorial decisions. ABC and Disney have also asked for a temporary restraining order to halt the license renewal proceedings while the case moves forward.
A White House spokesperson declined to comment, referring The Independent’s request to the FCC.
The Independent has contacted ABC and the FCC for comment.
