The chairman of the FCC has denied that the White House pressured the agency to open an early license review of Disney’s eight ABC television stations, saying the probe was driven solely by the company’s diversity practices.
FCC Chair Brendan Carr stated the decision was made internally with “no pressure from the outside” and “no call for agency action from the outside.” He emphasized that “the FCC should not operate as the speech police.”
The announcement came one day after President Donald Trump publicly pressured Disney to remove ABC late-night host Jimmy Kimmel, calling it a “serious mistake” to keep him on air.
“I don’t understand how he can be on air. I think ABC is putting themselves in great jeopardy, actually,” Trump told Newsmax on Thursday.
Carr opened the investigation into Disney’s diversity practices in March 2025. He said Disney submitted documents last week that he deemed insufficient, and he is considering additional early reviews. He declined to say whether similar scrutiny of Comcast and NBC is forthcoming.