ABC News' The View's new studio at 7 Hudson Square. Courtesy of The Walt Disney Company By Mark Mwachiro --> The battle between ABC and the Federal Communications Commission over its broadcast licenses for its affiliate stations intensified after it sued the government agency on Tuesday.
In the lawsuit, filed with the D.C. District Court, ABC said “government censorship is deeply un-American” and that the FCC is punishing it for editorial decisions and news coverage of the Donald Trump administration it does not like, which run counter to the First Amendment of the U.S. Constitution.
ABC says that co-hosts of The View are featured in a “media offenders” webpage created by the White House because they criticized government officials visiting the Alligator Alcatraz ICE detention facility in Florida and claimed that “President Trump was overstepping his authority by constructing a White House ballroom.”
This lawsuit comes after an FCC order, issued in late April , requiring eight ABC-owned and operated television stations to file early broadcast license renewals. The FCC, at that time, said the order comes as the O&O stations are being investigated for possible violations of the 1934 Communications Act and the “agency’s prohibition on lawful discrimination.”
The FCC’s move was reportedly tied to a year-long investigation into Disney’s DEI practices, according to NBC News. However, it’s notable that the FCC announcement also followed heightened scrutiny on ABC after the Trump administration zeroed in on late-night comic Jimmy Kimmel for a joke about Melania Trump .
The station licenses were not due for renewal until sometime in 2028, but ABC was directed to file the license renewals by May 28, 2026. Affected ABC O&O stations include New York, Los Angeles, Chicago, Philadelphia, Houston, San Francisco, Raleigh-Durham, and Fresno.
In its filing, ABC says it has been compelled to take this action because it needs the court’s intervention “to stop the Federal Commission’s extraordinary assault on free speech.”
It added that since the FCC’s investigations began, it has not featured any political candidates on The View because it must evaluate any potential consequences with that appearance, “including whether it might later be cited by the Commission as a basis for non-renewal in the Stations’ impending license renewal proceedings.”
In the lawsuit, ABC went on to say, “The FCC’s demand for early renewal applications reveals its intent to either hold a hearing to deny the applications or simply to subject Plaintiffs to months—and likely years—of onerous litigation and regulatory uncertainty. Either way, the agency succeeds at continuing to punish Plaintiffs.”
In response to ABC’s lawsuit, the FCC, in a statement, said that ABC’s parent company Disney is “obviously very concerned” over the agency’s investigation into the media company’s alleged illegal DEI discrimination, resulting in their “ongoing campaign of disinformation as well as their decision to ask a court to stop the FCC from further pursuing matters.”
Mark Mwachiro is a TVNewser contributor who has been writing for the blog since March 2022. Based out of New York, Mark has also contributed to ADWEEK.
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