The Federal Communications Commission (FCC) has launched an unusual review of ABC's broadcast licenses, just one day after President Donald Trump and First Lady Melania Trump publicly called on ABC to fire late-night host Jimmy Kimmel over a controversial joke.
In the joke, Kimmel referenced Melania Trump as an "expectant widow," a remark that drew sharp criticism from the White House and prompted the demand for his dismissal.
While no television station licenses are scheduled for renewal until 2028, the FCC has taken the rare step of instructing ABC's parent company, Disney, to file early license renewal applications for all of its licensed TV stations by May 28.
FCC Cites Authority to Call for Early License Renewals
The FCC issued an order explaining its decision, stating:
"FCC rules provide that whenever the FCC regards an application for a renewal of a license as essential to the proper conduct of an investigation, the FCC has the authority to call the broadcaster’s licenses in for early renewal. Doing so both allows the FCC to conduct its ongoing investigation and enables the FCC to ensure that the broadcaster has been meeting its public interest obligations more broadly."
This move is part of the FCC's broader investigation into ABC's compliance with public interest obligations, though the legal process for revoking licenses remains notoriously difficult and has been described as nearly impossible.
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