Disney has formally filed a lawsuit in federal court in Washington, DC, accusing the US Federal Communications Commission (FCC) of political retaliation for requiring eight ABC-owned-and-operated television stations to submit license renewal applications before their deadlines.
In the 46-page complaint, Disney argues that the FCC's early renewal requests are intended to pressure the company after ABC fell out of favor with President Donald Trump. The affected stations include affiliates in New York and Los Angeles. Among them, WTVD in Durham, North Carolina, has the nearest renewal date, but it is not due until December 2028. Six of the eight stations have not yet completed even half of their current license terms.
The lawsuit states: "Time and again, the administration has attacked ABC's speech – the stories its journalists report and the viewpoints expressed by the network's programs. Over time, those attacks have escalated into public demands that ABC be stripped of its broadcast licenses because of its speech."
The complaint also cites a series of Truth Social posts by President Trump in 2025, including one saying ABC "should lose its license for unfair coverage of Republicans and conservatives."
For its part, the FCC has justified the early license renewal requests by citing diversity, equity, and inclusion (DEI) activities at ABC's parent company Disney, as well as an investigation into the network's talk show The View.
Earlier, in March, FCC Chairman Brendan Carr warned broadcasters that stations airing "fake news" could lose their licenses, amid President Trump's displeasure with coverage of the US-Israel war against Iran. Shortly afterward, Trump also called for ABC to fire host Jimmy Kimmel over comments made before the White House Correspondents' Dinner, in which he referred to First Lady Melania Trump as a "pregnant widow."
Free speech advocacy groups have voiced support for ABC's lawsuit. Seth Stern, advocacy director at the Freedom of the Press Foundation, told Al Jazeera: "It's time someone took Brendan Carr and the FCC to court for their relentless campaign of intimidation and retaliation against journalism that displeases Carr's thin-skinned boss. Whatever the stated rationale, Carr's approach is clear: to act as Trump's 'enforcer' and abuse his position to target those perceived as opponents in the media."
In the lawsuit, ABC also requests expedited court proceedings and a preliminary injunction. News of the lawsuit sent Disney shares up 1.1% in morning trading.
