Posted in: ABC, Opinion, TV, TV | Tagged: ABC, disney, fcc, opinion

Disney/ABC Files TV Station Renewals "Under Protest"; Calls Out FCC

Disney's ABC filed license renewals for its stations, noting it was doing so "under protest" and calling out Trump's FCC head, Brendan Carr.

Last month, Donald Trump's Federal Communications Commissioner, Brendan Carr, and the FCC ordered Disney to "file license renewals for all of their licensed TV stations within 30 days." What that means is that instead of going through the renewal process in 2028 and 2031, Disney's 8 ABC stations (Los Angeles, New York, San Francisco, Chicago, Philadelphia, Houston, Raleigh-Durham, and Fresno) would have to have their paperwork in by May 28th – of this year. The move came a day after late-night host Jimmy Kimmel pushed back on calls by Trump, Melania Trump, the Trump Administration, and their social media/podcast lackeys, who made Kimmel the scapegoat for the hate and divisiveness that fueled the shooter at the White House Correspondents' Dinner (WHCD).

While ignoring their role in the current state of affairs across the nation, Trump's folks demanded that ABC fire Kimmel for a joke he made during a segment of his talk show, which aired before the event, in which Kimmel offered his own alternate take on the WHCD. Carr would claim that calling for those licenses to be renewed 2-5 years before they were required to be had nothing to do with Kimmel and was focused on Disney's DEI employment practices (which is another shitty reason for it).

Earlier today, ABC submitted those renewal applications, with the Disney-owned stations making it clear that they were doing it "under protest" and that they recognized Carr's actions for what they are: "an extraordinary demonstration of power and coercion directed at disfavored editorial voices" that is a threat to the First Amendment to the U.S. Constitution. "The Commission had not demanded early renewal in over five decades. And it has never before demanded simultaneous license renewal applications from a group of stations commonly owned with a network as it has here," states the filing from WABC New York. "The Order has no legitimate purpose."

The filing continued, "The timing of the Order makes the retaliatory purpose unmistakable. The Order suddenly emerged the day after public calls for punitive action in response to comments made during ABC Network programming." The stations argue that TV viewers are the real losers when the government looks to control a free press and freedom of speech. "The ultimate injury here is not to the Station or its parent company. It is to the public. When a broadcaster must weigh regulatory retaliation before making editorial decisions, the public loses access to journalism that is free from government influence," the filing reads. "The Order – both on its own terms and as a signal to other broadcasters – advances exactly that result. A press that edits itself to avoid government displeasure is not a free press. The Commission should not be the instrument of that outcome."

To that end, Disney's ABC stations also noted in their filings that Carr's move is an example of suppression, not regulation. "Simultaneously forcing every station in a media company's portfolio to file premature license renewal applications is not a regulatory tool. It is an extraordinary demonstration of power and coercion directed at disfavored editorial voices, which sends a clear warning to every broadcaster in America. This is a threat to the First Amendment that this Commission and this proceeding must not be permitted to normalize," the filing states.

Jimmy Kimmel Pushes Back on Trump, Calls Out Leavitt for "Shots Fired"

After getting a rousing reaction from the audience, who were chanting his name, Kimmel joked about having a typical day: waking up to Melania Trump wanting him to get fired. "You know how sometimes you wake up in the morning and the first lady puts out a statement demanding you be fired from your job? We've all been there, right?" the late-night host joked.

From there, Kimmel recapped what took place over the weekend, before referring back to his mock WHCD segment from last Thursday. Kimmel explained that the "expectant widow" joke was about Trump's health and had nothing to do with inciting violence – and that Trump's folks knew that. "It was a very light roast joke about the fact that he's almost 80 and she's younger than I am. It was not by any stretch of the definition a call to assassination. And they know that," Kimmel noted.

After reminding viewers of his position in the past on gun violence, Kimmel noted that the Trump Administration should be the ones to take their own advice and dial down the rhetoric. As an example, Kimmel said that if he's going to be held accountable for a joke from five days ago, then White House Press Secretary Karoline Leavitt should be held to the same standard when she joked about how there were going to be "shots fired" by Trump to FOX "News" only an hour or so before the evacuation.

But to make sure that viewers knew that Trump didn't always have a negative opinion of Kimmel, the late-night host shared a clip from 2010 where Trump had nothing but love for Kimmel:

Disney/ABC: How We Got to This Point…

"Welcome to the 2026 White House Correspondents' Dinner! Look at you all dressed up in formal wear – dresses, tuxedos – I haven't seen this much black since every page of the Trump-Epstein Files," Kimmel kicked off his version of a WHCD roast during his show last Thursday night. "We're gonna have fun tonight, and I'm happy you decided to stay, Mr. President. And don't worry, if we bruise your ego, it'll only make your hands look less disgusting." Shifting to Melania, Kimmel joked, "Look at Melania, so beautiful. Mrs. Trump, you have a glow like an expectant widow."

Kimmel continued, "As you're all aware, Melania's a movie star now. Her documentary has a score of 10 percent on Rotten Tomatoes, which is a website named after her husband's testicles. I want to congratulate you, Madam First Lady, on your huge accomplishment: the world's first motionless picture." During the segment, Kimmel would cut to footage of the folks in question, as if they were in attendance.

But Donald and Melania weren't the only roast topics Kimmel had planned, with JD Vance getting the spotlight: "It's hard to get JD to come to an event like this. He's a real homebody. His wife had to peel him off the couch. That reminds me: please do not get up from your seats during the performance because the vice president will fuck them." Kimmel's segment also went after Donald Trump Jr., Eric Trump, Stephen Miller, Kash Patel, Pete Hegseth, RFK Jr., and Carr.

"Kimmel's hateful and violent rhetoric is intended to divide our country. His monologue about my family isn't comedy- his words are corrosive and deepens the political sickness within America. People like Kimmel shouldn't have the opportunity to enter our homes each evening to spread hate. A coward, Kimmel hides behind ABC because he knows the network will keep running cover to protect him. Enough is enough. It is time for ABC to take a stand. How many times will ABC's leadership enable Kimmel's atrocious behavior at the expense of our community," Melania posted earlier today.

"Wow, Jimmy Kimmel, who is in no way funny as attested to by his terrible Television Ratings, made a statement on his Show that is really shocking. He showed a fake video of the First Lady, Melania, and our son, Barron, like they were actually sitting in his studio, listening to him speak, which they weren't, and never would be. He then stated, 'Our First Lady, Melania, is here. Look at Melania, so beautiful. Mrs. Trump, you have a glow like an expectant widow,'" Trump posted on social media, short after Melania's post. "A day later a lunatic tried entering the ballroom of the White House Correspondents Dinner, loaded up with a shotgun, handgun, and many knives. He was there for a very obvious and sinister reason. I appreciate that so many people are incensed by Kimmel's despicable call to violence, and normally would not be responsive to anything that he said but, this is something far beyond the pale. Jimmy Kimmel should be immediately fired by Disney and ABC. Thank you for your attention to this matter! President DONALD J. TRUMP"

Enjoyed this? Please share on social media!

Stay up-to-date and support the site by following Bleeding Cool on Google News today!