ABC is fighting back against the Trump administration's attempt to police broadcast television content, arguing in a new filing that the Federal Communications Commission is violating the First Amendment.
Led by Chairman Brendan Carr, the FCC accused ABC's The View of not complying with the equal-time rule, despite talk show interviews historically being exempt. The FCC also opened an unusual review of ABC's broadcast licenses after President Trump and First Lady Melania Trump called for Jimmy Kimmel's firing.
In a filing made public today, ABC said the FCC exceeded its authority in actions that "threaten to upend decades of settled law and practice and chill critical protected speech." The network noted the FCC confirmed in 2002 that The View qualifies as a bona fide news program, exempting it from the equal-time rule.
ABC, owned by Disney, briefly suspended Kimmel last year after a previous threat by Carr. The network also settled a lawsuit with Trump over statements made by George Stephanopoulos. This time, ABC is not backing down, with legal experts saying the law is on its side.
Free speech advocacy groups applauded ABC's decision. "ABC's refusal to quietly allow the federal government to dictate the range of viewpoints it may air is welcome and commendable," said Will Creeley of FIRE. Freedom of the Press Foundation's Seth Stern added, "It's about time news outlets start telling Carr and his Donald Trump lapel pin to kick rocks."
ABC's filing cites viewpoint discrimination, noting the FCC hasn't extended its equal-time crackdown to conservative talk radio shows like The Mark Levin Show or The Glenn Beck Program. The network warned that such actions threaten to limit news coverage of political candidates and chill First Amendment-protected speech as the 2026 midterm election approaches.