Why the FCC Going After ABC Over a Joke Is Actually Terrifying

TV stations need FCC licenses to broadcast, and these licenses come up for renewal every eight years. The FCC can force early renewals if they claim a station isn't serving the 'public interest' — a vague standard that's historically been used sparingly. The agency has broad power over what Americans can watch on broadcast TV, but using it to police comedy is basically unprecedented.

FCC Chair Brendan Carr ordered Disney's ABC to seek early license renewals for all eight of its owned stations after Jimmy Kimmel joked that Melania Trump had 'a glow like an expectant widow.' The joke aired three days before an actual assassination attempt at the White House Correspondents' Dinner, though there's no connection between the two events. Carr explicitly said the FCC can accelerate license reviews when they have 'significant concerns' about a broadcaster's operations, and criticized Disney's diversity policies in the same breath. This follows a pattern — Disney already briefly suspended Kimmel's show in September after conservative backlash over different comments.

This sets a precedent that the government can threaten broadcast licenses over political comedy, which is a massive First Amendment issue. If networks start self-censoring to avoid FCC retaliation, late-night comedy, political satire, and even news coverage could become sanitized beyond recognition. The 'public interest' standard is so subjective that any administration could weaponize it against media companies that displease them.

ABC now has to go through the expensive, time-consuming license renewal process years ahead of schedule. Watch whether other networks start toning down their Trump coverage or comedy to avoid similar retaliation.