Disney goes ballistic in 109-page attack on Trump administration as TV stations hang on a knife’s edge

The Walt Disney Company has dramatically escalated its showdown with the Federal Communications Commission, accusing the agency of carrying out a politically motivated campaign on behalf of President Donald Trump that could strip some of Disney-owned network ABC’s biggest television stations of their broadcast licenses.

In a 109-page filing, Disney argued the federal agency’s actions amount to retaliation over the entertainment company’s programming, including criticism of the president by late-night host Jimmy Kimmel and scrutiny surrounding Disney’s diversity, equity and inclusion initiatives.

“The retaliation against ABC is a signal to every media company in the country: accommodate the Administration’s view of what news coverage should look like or pay the price,” Disney’s attorneys wrote in the filing.

The dispute centers on the FCC’s decision earlier this year to launch an early review of the licenses for Disney’s eight owned-and-operated ABC stations, including KABC-TV in Los Angeles, WABC-TV in New York, as well as stations serving San Francisco, Fresno, Houston and Philadelphia.

If those licenses were ultimately revoked, the move would force several of the network’s largest local stations off the air, dealing a major blow to ABC’s nationwide broadcasting operations.

Disney contends the FCC has spent months searching for grounds to justify such an action.

“The FCC has spent the last 18 months searching for some pretext for revoking the stations’ licenses,” the company’s lawyers wrote.

“The Commission has found none, because the stations easily meet the standard for license renewal,” they added.

According to Disney, the FCC’s review is without modern precedent.

The company said the agency had not ordered an early group-wide license review of television stations in more than half a century before initiating the current proceedings in April.

Disney also linked the timing of the investigation to Trump’s criticism of ABC, noting the FCC announced its review one day after the president publicly lashed out at the network following a Jimmy Kimmel monologue that joked about Trump’s health and First Lady Melania Trump.

“For the first time in history, the Federal Communications Commission has ordered an entire group of local television stations … to undergo simultaneous license renewal proceedings well before their current licenses expire,” Disney wrote while asking regulators to dismiss the review.

The FCC has maintained that the inquiry stems from its investigation into Disney’s internal DEI programs, which regulators have been examining as part of the Trump administration’s broader crackdown on diversity initiatives across corporate America.

The commission has also separately questioned whether ABC’s daytime talk show “The View” should continue receiving a longstanding exemption from equal-time rules that apply to political programming.

The early license review prompted an outpouring of public feedback. By Wednesday’s filing deadline, more than 152,000 comments had been submitted to the FCC. Disney said roughly 96% favored allowing the ABC stations to keep their licenses.

Supporters included Los Angeles County Sheriff Robert Luna, Los Angeles Police Chief Jim McDonnell and Riverside County Sheriff Chad Bianco.

In his letter, Luna said KABC, which has served Southern California for more than 75 years, provides residents with “timely and accurate information that has … undoubtedly saved lives.”

Democratic lawmakers, including House Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries, former House Speaker Nancy Pelosi and California Reps.

Ted Lieu, Laura Friedman, Maxine Waters and Ro Khanna, have also urged the FCC to abandon the review, arguing the agency is improperly using its regulatory authority to target a media company over its editorial content.

Disney has assembled a high-profile legal team led by chief legal officer Horacio Gutierrez, along with veteran attorneys Beth Wilkinson, Jennifer Tatel and former U.S. Solicitor General Paul Clement, as the case could ultimately end up before the U.S. Supreme Court.

Not everyone has sided with Disney.

The conservative Center for American Rights filed a petition urging regulators to deny the station renewals.

“ABC’s rights are important, but they are not preeminent,” Center for American Rights President Daniel Suhr wrote, arguing the FCC should instead focus on “the right of viewers of ABC stations.”

“ABC does not expose viewers to ‘information from diverse and antagonistic sources.’ … ABC engages in explicit racial and gender discrimination,” he added.

FCC Commissioner Anna M. Gomez, the panel’s lone Democrat, has also criticized the investigation, calling the station license inquiry “naked political retribution and an unlawful assault on free speech.”

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