Conservatives and liberals have united in opposition to the Federal Communications Commission's (FCC) attempt to punish ABC for statements that President Trump dislikes. Liberal advocacy groups urged FCC Chairman Brendan Carr to end his attacks on the network, while conservative organizations warned against setting a precedent that could harm conservatives under future administrations.

Former FCC chairs and commissioners from both Republican and Democratic administrations joined in opposition, calling it a 'campaign to censor disfavored speech.' The FCC ordered ABC to file early license-renewal applications for its eight TV stations. A petition to deny the renewal was submitted by conservative groups whose previous actions were linked to 'news distortion' investigations against broadcasters accused of bias.

Although the Trump administration claims the proceeding is over potential violations of anti-discrimination rules with DEI practices, it seems to have been spurred by Jimmy Kimmel's statements. In September 2025, Carr threatened to revoke ABC station licenses for 'news distortion' if they continued airing Kimmel’s show. Just this April, he ordered a highly unusual license review one day after the President and First Lady called for Kimmel to be fired over a joke that suggested Melania Trump looked like an ‘expectant widow.’

Through this proceeding, the FCC seeks to censor Disney's and ABC's speech and send a chilling message to all broadcasters: carry speech we don’t like at your peril.