Disney challenges FCC's expedited ABC station license review in federal court

On September 19, Disney and ABC filed a federal court motion to prevent the Federal Communications Commission from proceeding with an accelerated review of eight ABC-owned broadcasting stations. The company contends that FCC Chair Brendan Carr is executing directives from President Donald Trump intended to punish the network for its editorial coverage that has been unfavorable to the administration, including programming that prompted Trump's public criticism of late-night host Jimmy Kimmel. In April 2026, the FCC triggered these reviews despite licenses for the stations not falling due for renewal until October 2028. This marks a highly unusual action, as the regulatory body has not initiated such an expedited review in more than five decades. Disney seeks judicial intervention to prevent the FCC from advancing with these license challenge proceedings.

1. Disney and ABC filed a court motion on September 19 to halt an FCC early license renewal review of eight ABC-owned stations
2. Disney argues the FCC review is retaliatory for news and entertainment programming critical of the Trump administration
3. The FCC ordered the reviews in April 2026, even though station licenses were not due for renewal until October 2028
4. No such expedited review had occurred for more than 50 years prior to this action
5. Disney directly owns eight ABC stations, all of which are now under FCC scrutiny