FCC orders review of ABC licenses after Kimmel joke offends Trump and first lady

April 29, 2026

1:07

FCC orders review of ABC licenses after Kimmel joke offends Trump and first lady

Have you ever seen the FCC step into a media controversy with a license review? Well, that's exactly what’s happening now. The FCC has ordered ABC to file early license renewal applications — no, not because of technical issues, but because of a joke Jimmy Kimmel made about Melania Trump. According to Jon Brodkin reporting for Ars Technica, this move is highly unusual; the FCC's license renewal process is notoriously tough to tamper with, usually set for 2028. But here’s where it gets interesting — Brodkin explains that the FCC claims this step allows them to investigate whether ABC is meeting its public interest obligations, especially after the political fallout. Now, the question is — will this lead to stricter oversight over broadcasters for speech that offends powerful figures? As Brodkin notes, this isn’t just about one joke. It’s a test case for how far the FCC can — or will — go to regulate content amid political pressure. So, the real question isn’t just about ABC’s license — it's about the limits of free speech and government oversight in media.

The Federal Communications Commission today opened an unusual review of ABC's broadcast licenses, one day after President Trump and the first lady called on ABC to fire Jimmy Kimmel over a recent joke in which he said Melania Trump looked like an "expectant widow."

There are no TV station licenses for any company up for renewal until 2028, and the legal process for revoking licenses is so difficult that it's been described as nearly impossible. But the FCC today issued an order instructing ABC owner Disney to file early license renewal applications for all of its licensed TV stations by May 28.

"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," the agency said. "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."

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