By Joe Flint

FCC Chairman Brendan Carr on Thursday said the decision to order an early license review for Disney's ABC television stations isn't related to President Trump's skirmish with late-night host Jimmy Kimmel.

Rather, he said the review is related to the Federal Communications Commission's investigation into Disney's diversity, equity and inclusion initiatives.

"This was based on DEI conduct and not speech," Carr said at a press conference following the FCC's monthly meeting.

Carr's order came the day after Trump demanded Kimmel's firing on Truth Social on Monday for a joke the comedian made at the expense of first lady Melania Trump on ABC's "Jimmy Kimmel Live!" last week.

The timing of Carr's order led many media watchdogs to believe there was a connection and saw it as the latest escalation in the feud between Kimmel and the administration. The FCC's Anna Gomez, the agency's lone Democratic commissioner, this week called Carr's order "the most egregious action this FCC has taken in violation of the First Amendment to date."

The FCC first launched its Disney probe in March 2025 into whether the company was still engaging in DEI practices that run afoul of the regulatory agency's equal employment opportunity rules. He said the information the FCC has received from Disney has led him to suspect the company is in violation of the agency's rules against discrimination based on race and gender.

Carr also suggested Disney hasn't been completely forthcoming in its responses to the FCC's requests for information.

"It felt like they were playing rope-a-dope," Carr said of Disney's response to the agency's document demands.

A Disney spokeswoman didn't immediately respond to a request for comment on Carr's remarks.

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."

Disney has until May 28 to comply with the FCC's order. It owns eight television stations in major markets including New York and Los Angeles.

On his April 23 show, Kimmel presented a mock White House Correspondents' Dinner speech where he joked that the first lady had "a glow like an expectant widow."

The joke was made days before a man opened fire outside the White House Correspondents' Association Dinner. The suspected gunman, Cole Allen, was charged earlier this week with attempting to assassinate Trump and two firearm offenses.

Trump on Thursday restated his demand that Kimmel be fired. Kimmel has continued his jokes at the president's expense in his late night monologues.

Write to Joe Flint at Joe.Flint@wsj.com

(END) Dow Jones Newswires

April 30, 2026 13:42 ET (17:42 GMT)

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