The FCC has told ABC that it must apply to renew its broadcast licenses by May 28, as the network deals with the fallout of Jimmy Kimmel’s controversial joke about Melania Trump.
The licenses were not due to expire until 2028. A filing indicated that the early renewal request is related to a previous investigation into the company’s DEI practices.
But the decision also comes after the FCC received a complaint against Kimmel following his joke last week suggesting that the First Lady had the glow of an “expectant widow.” Days after the sketch aired, a gunman attempted to storm Saturday night’s White House Correspondents’ Dinner.
In the aftermath of the shooting, both Donald and Melania Trump have called for Kimmel’s broadcaster, ABC, to take action against the comedian, accusing him of sharing violent rhetoric.
The National Religious Broadcasters association then filed a complaint with the FCC, saying Kimmel’s remarks “when viewed in context, raise concerns about the normalization and potential incitement of political violence.” The NRB also requested a “full and impartial investigation to determine whether federal law or Commission precedent was violated.”
“We’re seeing a pattern of violence in this country that didn't appear overnight,” NRB's president and CEO Troy Miller said in a statement. “When influential voices joke about death or treat political opponents as disposable, it contributes to a culture where violence feels thinkable to the already unstable. National platforms carry real weight, and with that comes responsibility. That’s why this warranted action.”
The FCC, ABC, and a representative for Kimmel did not immediately respond to The Independent’s request for comment.
The Freedom of the Press Foundation described the FCC’s actions as an “attack on the First Amendment.”
In a statement to The Independent, FPF’s Chief of Advocacy Seth Stern said: “The First Amendment and the FCC’s mandate do not permit the agency to use broadcast licenses as weapons to punish broadcasters for constitutionally protected content they air. Brendan Carr was once a serious communications lawyer, and has repeatedly and correctly said that the FCC has no role in policing content, whether news reporting or comedians’ late night jokes.
“Carr’s decision to abandon his principles to kiss up to Trump to advance his career does not change the law that Carr knows full-well applies. The FCC is neither the journalism police nor the humor police. This is nothing but illegal jawboning intended to intimidate ABC into kissing the ring.”
Another advocacy group, Free Press, took a similar position. Free Press co-CEO Jessica J. González said in a statement: “Carr will try to dress up this latest attack like a legitimate FCC procedure, but his motivations are clear. He is using his position of power to silence dissent at the president’s beck and call. This extraordinary and unconstitutional attack on the media is nothing more than another favor to the most fragile president in U.S. history.”
On Monday night, Kimmel kicked off Jimmy Kimmel Live! by describing the joke as a light roast about the couple’s age difference and “not, by any stretch of the definition, a call to assassination.”
“And they know that. I’ve been very vocal for many years, speaking out against gun violence, in particular,” he continued.
The host went on to express sympathy for the president and others at the event, saying they had endured a “traumatic and scary” ordeal.
“I agree that hateful and violent rhetoric is something we should reject,” Kimmel said. “I do, and I think a great place to start to dial that back would be to have a conversation with your husband about it.”
Melania responded to last week’s sketch in a post shared on X on Monday and described the talk show host as a “coward.”
She said: “Kimmel’s hateful and violent rhetoric is intended to divide our country. His monologue about my family isn’t comedy – his words are corrosive and deepen the political sickness within America.
“People like Kimmel shouldn’t have the opportunity to enter our homes each evening to spread hate. A coward, Kimmel hides behind ABC because he knows the network will keep running cover to protect him.
Kimmel’s hateful and violent rhetoric is intended to divide our country. His monologue about my family isn’t comedy- his words are corrosive and deepens the political sickness within America.
— First Lady Melania Trump (@FLOTUS) April 27, 2026
People like Kimmel shouldn’t have the opportunity to enter our homes each evening to…
“Enough is enough. It is time for ABC to take a stand. How many times will ABC’s leadership enable Kimmel’s atrocious behavior at the expense of our community.”
Soon after, Trump criticized the presenter in a post on his social media platform Truth Social, echoing comments his wife had made and calling for Disney and ABC to fire Kimmel “immediately.”
In September, the late-night presenter was taken off the air and suspended indefinitely following comments he made on the show after the murder of right-wing activist Charlie Kirk, an ally of Trump’s.
The suspension was met with criticism from the public, some of Hollywood’s biggest stars, and political figures, who directed it at the U.S. administration for infringing on their freedom of speech and the free press, leading to Kimmel’s return five days later.
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