Stories

Tue, 18 Aug 2026

Tue, 18 Aug 2026 Disney and ABC sue Trump's media regulator to stop early licence renewal

The network accuses the administration of retaliating against ABC because it "disapproves of what ABC broadcasts".

* Disney and ABC have filed a lawsuit against the Trump administration and the FCC over an alleged campaign of retaliation against ABC's editorial content.
* The lawsuit claims that the FCC is being pressured to renew broadcast licenses years early, specifically targeting Disney-owned stations.
* The plaintiffs argue that the renewal process is "unprecedented" and that the FCC has never demanded early renewal applications from a group of stations owned by a single network before.
* The lawsuit cites Trump's social media posts as evidence, including one in which he complained about ABC's coverage of him being "almost 100% negative" and questioned whether their broadcast licenses should be terminated.
* Disney claims that the FCC is retaliating against ABC for a single reason: it disapproves of what ABC broadcasts.
* The lawsuit notes that ABC and Disney have been under investigation by the FCC for over a year, specifically regarding diversity, equity, and inclusion (DEI) practices and ABC's daytime talk show "The View".
* The plaintiffs are seeking a "speedy hearing" from the court and a temporary restraining order to halt the early renewal process.
* Brendan Carr, the FCC chairman, has denied that the push for early renewal is retaliatory, saying it's focused on "public interest", not politics.