Disney and ABC sue FCC, seeking to stop early license renewal process
Disney’s ABC sued the Federal Communications Commission in Washington, DC, federal court Tuesday, accusing the Trump administration of a “retaliatory campaign” to silence the network’s left-leaning shows as its broadcast license battle intensifies.
The lawsuit seeks a temporary restraining order and preliminary injunction against the FCC’s review of eight Disney licenses, including ABC stations in New York, Los Angeles and Chicago, as well as a DC Circuit Court hearing.
ABC and Disney said the administration has repeatedly attacked its journalists and programming and escalated to demands that its licenses be revoked because of its speech.
An FCC spokesperson rejected the claims, saying broadcasters must operate in the public interest. The spokesperson said the FCC has spent more than a year investigating allegations that Disney engaged in illegal DEI discrimination and would continue following the facts and law.
FCC Chair Brendan Carr launched the DEI probe in March 2025. In April, he began reviewing ABC’s licenses a year early, accusing the network of failing to cooperate with the investigation.
The early review came amid Trump’s feud with ABC late-night host Jimmy Kimmel, whose remarks about First Lady Melania Trump and two assassination attempts on President Trump drew the president’s calls for him to be fired. Trump had also criticized Kimmel over remarks about the assassination of conservative podcaster Charlie Kirk, after which ABC temporarily removed Kimmel from the air. “The View” hosts, including Whoopi Goldberg and Joy Behar, have also frequently criticized the administration, including an on-air dispute with Vice President JD Vance.
ABC said the review’s timing shows the FCC is retaliating against a network that refuses to comply with administration demands. It warned that allowing the administration to prevail would signal to media companies that unfavorable coverage could trigger federal retaliation.
The lawsuit cited Trump’s December 2025 Truth Social post calling for networks that are “almost 100% Negative” toward him to have their “very valuable Broadcast Licenses” revoked.
Carr has said the review concerns broadcasters’ public-interest obligations, not free speech.
ABC also said the early review has drawn criticism across the political spectrum, citing conservative Supreme Court Justice Neil Gorsuch and Republican Sen. Ted Cruz’s warnings about a politicized FCC.
Conservative watchdogs the Media Research Center and Center for American Rights have urged the FCC not to renew ABC’s licenses, alleging partisan electioneering and misinformation.
Carr has previously acted on watchdog petitions, including a 2024 FCC complaint against CBS News over a “60 Minutes” interview with then-Vice President Kamala Harris. The Biden administration dismissed the complaint, but Carr reopened it after becoming chairman in January 2025. Paramount, which owns CBS, later agreed to pay Trump $16 million to settle his lawsuit alleging deceptive editing.
