US media watchdog orders early review of ABC's broadcast licenses amid continued Trump-Kimmel feud

The US media watchdog on Tuesday ordered Disney's ABC television stations to file early license renewals within 30 days, upping pressure on the broadcaster that has unfolded alongside a bitter feud between President Donald Trump and late-night host Jimmy Kimmel.

The Federal Communications Commission (FCC) said it has been investigating Disney's ABC network for possible violations of the Communications Act of 1934, including the agency's prohibition on unlawful discrimination.

The commission directed eight ABC-owned stations to submit license renewal applications by May 28, one month from now.

According to a New York Times report, under normal circumstances ABC would not have been required to seek renewal of any of its station licenses, which run on eight-year terms, until 2028. However, a rarely invoked provision of the law allows the FCC to compel stations to apply for renewal at any time, opening the door to an early refusal to renew.

The regulatory action comes as Kimmel has found himself at the center of a political firestorm after last Thursday he delivered an early parody of the White House Correspondents' Dinner, joking days before the weekend event that first lady Melania Trump had "a glow like an expectant widow."

Kimmel, 58, later described the remark as a straightforward joke about the couple's age gap – “the fact that he's almost 80 and she's younger than I am" – rather than any incitement to violence.

"It was not by any stretch of the definition a call to assassination and they know that, I've been very vocal for many years speaking out against gun violence in particular," he added, hitting back at Trump’s claim that he had made a “call to violence.”

Two days after Kimmel’s joke, during the correspondents’ dinner, an armed man was apprehended at the Washington Hilton Hotel before reaching the ballroom where the event was underway. The suspect now faces an attempted assassination charge.

Longtime feuds

On US social media platform X, the first lady, 56, blasted Kimmel's remarks as "corrosive."

The US president, in a Truth Social post, said Kimmel's joke was "something far beyond the pale."

Trump concluded with a direct demand: "Jimmy Kimmel should be immediately fired by Disney and ABC."

Trump and Kimmel have exchanged barbs for months, if not years. Last September Kimmel was taken off the air for several days after making comments about the assassination of conservative influencer Charlie Kirk.

In addition to Kimmel, Trump has also long targeted other late-night comedians who make fun of him, including Seth Meyers and Steven Colbert, who announced last year that his show had been cancelled. Broadcaster CBS said the show was not profitable, but Trump critics said he had pressured the network to take Colbert off the air.