The Walt Disney Company, ABC, and a number of its stations on Tuesday filed a lawsuit against the Federal Communications Commission (FCC) in Washington, D.C., seeking to halt an early license renewal process that they claim is an attack by the Trump administration. The lawsuit, filed in the D.C. District Court, centers on the FCC’s order in April requiring Disney’s eight owned-and-operated television stations to file their broadcast license renewals ahead of schedule. This move comes amidst a probe into ABC’s ‘The View’ program and a long-standing investigation into diversity, equity, and inclusion practices at Disney.
The lawsuit specifically cites Trump’s own social media posts, including a complaint made in September 2025 where he alleged that late-night television hosts were ‘almost 100% Negative to President Donald J. Trump’ and demanded that broadcast licenses be terminated. The suit alleges that the FCC action constitutes a retaliatory campaign against ABC for a single reason: disapproval of what ABC broadcasts. The document states that the FCC’s actions began in the Administration’s earliest days and has only intensified since.
In September 2025, Disney pulled Kimmel off the air briefly after pressure from the FCC chairman Brendan Carr. Kimmel had made a comment about the motivations of the man who authorities say fatally shot conservative activist Charlie Kirk. Kimmel also criticized Republicans for their response to Kirk’s death. The lawsuit describes the FCC action as an ‘existential threat’ to Disney and ABC stations.
The lawsuit requests that the D.C. District court ‘immediately’ stop the FCC from taking or threatening to take any action against Disney and ABC stations ‘in relation to the early license renewal applications.’ ABC also requested a ‘speedy hearing’ from the court, asking the court to enter a temporary restraining order.
In response to NBC News, the FCC did not immediately return a request for comment from the agency. On Friday, newly-installed Disney executive officer, Josh D’Amaro, stated that the company was ‘principled’ in its fight against the FCC’s moves. D’Amaro said, ‘We’re going to stand up to what we believe is journalistic integrity,’ referencing the ABC broadcast network.
ABC also requested a ‘speedy hearing’ from the court, ‘and ask this Court to enter a temporary restraining order.’ The FCC did not return a request for comment from NBC News.
The lawsuit’s timing coincides with a period of heightened scrutiny and political tension surrounding ABC’s ‘The View’ program, which has been the subject of numerous controversies and debates in recent months. The FCC’s actions are being interpreted by legal experts as an attempt to exert greater control over the broadcast landscape and potentially limit the range of programming that can be aired nationwide.
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Source: NBC News
