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Federal Communications Commission (FCC) chairman Brendan Carr said Thursday that the agency’s decision to order an early license review for Disney’s ABC television stations is tied to the company’s diversity, equity and inclusion (DEI) initiatives rather than President Trump’s dispute with late-night host Jimmy Kimmel.
Speaking at a press conference after the FCC’s monthly meeting, Carr said the review is based on DEI conduct and not speech.
The review was announced on Tuesday. Carr’s remarks came a day after Trump demanded Kimmel’s firing on Truth Social, following an earlier call by the first lady for a joke the comedian made at the expense of first lady Melania Trump on ABC’s “Jimmy Kimmel Live!” last week.
Kimmel’s latest exchange with the administration began with his April 23 show, in which he joked that the first lady had “a glow like an expectant widow.”
Disney previously said it is confident that the “record demonstrates our continued qualifications as licensees under the Communications Act and the First Amendment and are prepared to show that through the appropriate legal channels.”
The company has until May 28 to comply with the FCC’s order. Disney owns eight television stations in major markets, including New York and Los Angeles.
According to the article, Kimmel’s flap with the administration was sparked by his April 23 show, in which he presented a mock White House Correspondents’ Dinner speech and made the “expectant widow” remark about the first lady.
The joke was made days before a man opened fire outside the White House Correspondents’ Association Dinner, held at the Washington Hilton in Washington, D.C., on Saturday night.
The suspected gunman, Cole Allen, 31, was charged on Monday with attempting to assassinate Trump and two firearm offenses.
The article also notes that Trump has echoed his demand that Kimmel be fired as the late-night host continues his jokes about the president in his monologues.
Premium gym chains are entering a “golden era” that is ending or already in decline, as rising operating costs collide with shifting consumer preferences toward more flexible, community-based ways to exercise. Long-term memberships are shrinking, margins are pressured by higher rents and facility expenses, and competition from smaller, more personalized…
