The ABC Studios headquarters in Burbank, Calif. on Feb. 5, 2014. Mario Anzuoni/Reuters
The Walt Disney Company has sued the Federal Communications Commission (FCC) to block the early review of its licenses for eight ABC affiliate stations.
The Aug. 18 lawsuit argues that the Trump administration is attempting to retaliate against ABC for its broadcast content.
FCC Chairman Brendan Carr began an investigation in March 2025 into whether Disney’s diversity policies violated federal nondiscrimination law.
In April 2026, the FCC’s media bureau ordered Disney and ABC to submit early renewal applications for the eight stations in question, one day after President Donald Trump called on ABC to fire late-night talk show host Jimmy Kimmel following a skit that mocked First Lady Melania Trump.
The complaint, filed in the U.S. District Court in the District of Columbia, characterizes the FCC’s conduct as an “assault on free speech disguised as regulatory process.”
Disney’s suit alleges that the FCC illegally launched the workplace discrimination investigation as punishment for news, commentary, and comedy programming on the network.
On May 29 of this year, the FCC issued a notice stating that the early review of the licenses was necessary to determine whether the stations are operating in the public interest. The earliest renewal is due in 2028 and the latest in 2031, according to the lawsuit.
The agency says that licenses issued and maintained by companies such as Disney and its eight ABC-owned television stations should serve the public interest, avoid serious violations of the Communications Act and FCC rules, avoid a pattern of violations, and maintain the character qualifications required of license holders.
If those standards aren’t met, the FCC can grant a shorter license term, impose conditions, or deny renewal of licenses, the notice said.
An FCC spokesperson told The Epoch Times in an emailed statement, “The FCC has been examining claims that Disney engaged in illegal DEI discrimination for over a year. Disney is obviously very concerned about the FCC’s proceeding, as evidenced by their ongoing campaign of disinformation as well as their decision to ask a court to stop the FCC from further pursuing matters. The FCC will continue to follow the facts and law wherever they lead.”
Anna Gomez, the sole Democratic FCC commissioner, spoke out in support of ABC, calling the agency’s move a “campaign of censorship and control” against the ABC stations.
The affiliates being reviewed include KFSN-TV, Fresno, California; KABC-TV, Los Angeles; KGO-TV, San Francisco; WLS-TV, Chicago; WABC-TV, New York; WTVD, Durham, North Carolina; WPVI-TV, Philadelphia; and KTRK-TV, Houston.
