The Federal Communications Commission on Monday blasted Disney’s push for public support amid the agency’s probes of “The View” and ABC’s broadcast licenses, the latest development in Disney’s growing standoff with regulators.
The FCC, under Trump-appointed Chair Brendan Carr, said in February that it was looking into whether “The View” violated equal-time rules after an appearance by James Talarico, the Democratic candidate in November’s U.S. Senate race in Texas.
“The View,” which first aired in 1997, is co-hosted by a panel of women who interview politicians and celebrities. Seeking to rally support from viewers, ABC launched a campaign Monday urging people to push back against what it says are threats to free speech.
Its on-air spots call on the public to petition the FCC to “let the viewers decide” what they want on their airwaves.
“‘The View’ has welcomed your favorite guests and covered the issues you’ve cared about for nearly 30 years,” a voice-over says in one of the ads. “Now the FCC wants to control who is allowed to appear on the show. Viewers, use your voice. Scan this QR code. You have until July 6.”
Addressing ABC’s new campaign, an FCC spokesperson said in a statement Monday: “Disney wants the FCC to classify ‘The View’ as a ‘bona fide news program.’ And it has chosen to run a campaign of misinformation to make its case—misleading viewers about the law. That is a choice.”
A spokesperson for “The View” did not immediately respond to a request for comment Monday.
Under FCC regulations, “bona fide” news programs are exempt from equal-time rules that generally require broadcasters to provide equal opportunities to competing political candidates.
Carr wrote Monday on X that classifying the show as a “bona fide news program” “would exempt ‘The View’ from the political equal time requirements that Congress passed decades ago.”
“What do you think? Is ‘The View’ bona fide news?” Carr continued.
ABC argued in a filing to the FCC in May that “The View” airs under an exemption to the equal-time rule “granted to it more than twenty years ago.”
ABC’s filing was registered on behalf of KTRK-TV, the network’s owned station in Houston, with ABC’s lawyers saying the station was ordered to file a formal request asking whether “The View” qualified for the exemption. The network said “it has never been disputed” that “The View” is a so-called bona fide news show.
“Some may dislike certain — or even most — of the viewpoints expressed on ‘The View’ or similar shows,” ABC said in the 52-page document. “Such dislike, however, cannot justify using regulatory processes to restrict those views.”
The FCC issued an order in April directing Disney’s eight owned-and-operated television stations to file their broadcast license renewals ahead of schedule following a clash between the White House and ABC over a joke late-night host Jimmy Kimmel made about first lady Melania Trump.
Carr has previously insisted the ABC license review stems from the FCC’s probe of Disney’s diversity, equity and inclusion practices — not “speech.”
President Donald Trump has frequently complained about ABC in recent years, and in 2024 sued the network for defamation. The network settled the suit later that year, after Trump won a second term.
Trump on Monday threatened to sue the network again over its coverage of problems with the Lincoln Memorial Reflecting Pool following renovations touted by the president on a near-daily basis.
“We are preparing lawsuits against ABC for false reporting,” Trump wrote on Truth Social, saying the coverage did not mention the dollar amounts spent by the Obama and Biden administrations on efforts to repair the Reflecting Pool.
ABC News did not immediately respond to a request for comment.
