The Federal Communications Commission is reportedly considering an “unprecedented” review of broadcast licenses held by The Walt Disney Company. jimmy kimmelComments from soon-to-be-widowed first lady Melania Trump, Semafor reported.
Semafor reports Federal Communications Commission There may be a decision not to start the process, which is called an early licensing review. However, Chairman Brendan Carr has raised questions about Disney’s licensing, most recently this month when he attacked the company’s diversity initiatives.
The FCC grants licenses to ABC stations nationwide so that they can use public radio stations to broadcast their content.
Read more: Jimmy Kimmel defends Melania’s ‘widow’ joke after Trump calls for her firing
What triggered a potential FCC review?
ABC late-night host Jimmy Kimmel delivered a monologue at the annual White House Correspondents’ Dinner (WHCD), where a gunman allegedly tried to kill the president and senior administration officials. In his monologue, he said the first lady looked like “a widow in labor.” two presidents Donald Trump and first lady Melania Trump asked the broadcaster to fire Kimmel.
During his monologue on Monday, the late-night host didn’t back down when he called jokes about the first couple “a slight dig at the fact that he’s almost 80 and she’s younger than me.”
Disney shares fell nearly 1% in early trading Tuesday following the controversy.
However, the FCC has not publicly confirmed the launch of any formal review, and there has been no official statement that enforcement action will be taken at this stage.
Read more: George Clooney defends Jimmy Kimmel amid Melania joke spat
free speech issues
Last year, Kimmel angered conservatives by commenting on the murder of right-wing activist Charlie Kirk and his show was temporarily suspended after receiving threats from Karl.
Kimmel called Kahl “Trump’s little ferret” at the time and said he was “doing everything ‘easy or hard’ to silence us.”
Carr has been a staunch critic of ABC’s diversity programs. The FCC’s review may be due to issues with the diversity program, which has been a concern.
Earlier this month, Carr told Fox News, “If the evidence does exist and shows that they discriminated based on race and sex, that’s a very serious issue at the FCC and it could fundamentally impact their character qualifications or even holding a license.”
Another source who confirmed the story to NBC said the FCC intends to order eight stations owned and operated by Disney to renew their broadcast licenses early, an “unprecedented” step. The license will not need to be renewed until at least 2028.
