The Federal Communications Commission is reportedly considering an “unprecedented” review of broadcast licenses held by The Walt Disney Company after Jimmy Kimmel‘s “expectant widow” comment on First Lady Melania Trump, according to Semafor.
Semafor reported that the FCC may decide not to initiate that procedure, which is referred to as an early license review. However, Chairman Brendan Carr has already challenged Disney’s licenses, most recently this month when he attacked the company’s diversity initiatives.
The FCC grants licenses to ABC TV stations nationwide so they can use publicly owned airwaves to broadcast their content.
Read more: Jimmy Kimmel defends ‘widow’ joke on Melania after Trump calls for his firing
What triggered the potential FCC review?
Jimmy Kimmel, the host of ABC’s late-night show, made a monologue two days before a gunman allegedly attempted to kill the president and senior administration officials at the annual White House Correspondents’ Dinner (WHCD). In the monologue, he said the first lady looked like “an expectant widow.” Both President Donald Trump and First Lady Melania Trump have demanded that the broadcaster fire Kimmel.
In his monologue on Monday, the late-night host didn’t back down when he called the joke about the first couple “a very light roast about the fact that he’s almost 80 and she’s younger than I am.”
Post the controversy, Disney’s stock fell almost 1% in Tuesday morning trading.
However, the FCC has not publicly confirmed the launch of any formal review, and no official statement has indicated enforcement action at this stage.
Read more: George Clooney defends Jimmy Kimmel amid Melania joke row
Free speech concerns
Last year, Kimmel’s show was temporarily taken off the air after he commented on the murder of right-wing activist Charlie Kirk that infuriated conservatives, once more following threats from Carr.
Kimmel called Carr “Trump’s little ferret” at the time, saying he “is doing everything he can to shut us up the ‘easy way or the hard way.”
Carr has been a staunch critic of the ABC’s diversity programs. The FCC review could have resulted from the diversity program issue, which was always a concern.
Earlier this month, Carr told Fox News, “If the evidence does in fact play out and shows that they were engaged in race- and gender-based discrimination, that’s a very serious issue at the FCC, that could fundamentally go to their character qualifications to even hold a license.”
The FCC intends to order Disney’s eight owned-and-operated stations to renew their broadcast licenses ahead of schedule in a “unprecedented” step, according to another source who confirmed the claim to NBC. The licenses won’t need to be renewed until at least 2028.
