Disney and ABC are taking their fight with the federal government into court. The companies have sued the Federal Communications Commission over an unusually early review of eight ABC-owned television stations.

According to NBC News, the lawsuit accuses the Trump administration of using regulatory power to punish ABC over its editorial content. The case comes after months of tension involving ABC programming and President Donald Trump. Disney argues that the FCC’s actions could threaten the future of its broadcast network and create a dangerous precedent for other media companies.

The dispute centers on eight Disney-owned stations in major markets including New York, Los Angeles and San Francisco. The FCC ordered them to seek license renewals in late April even though the licenses were not normally due until 2028. The stations were given just 30 days to prepare applications that would ordinarily take months.

The lawsuit points to Trump’s social media posts questioning whether broadcast licenses should be terminated because late-night hosts are almost 100% negative toward him. It also highlights criticism aimed at Jimmy Kimmel after a joke involving first lady Melania Trump.

“Acting through the Federal Communications Commission, the Administration has waged a retaliatory campaign against ABC for a single reason: it disapproves of what ABC broadcasts,” the suit states. “That campaign began in this Administration’s earliest days and has only intensified since.”

The complaint also refers to Disney removing Kimmel from the air in September 2025 after pressure from FCC Chairman Brendan Carr. Kimmel had made comments about the death of activist Charlie Kirk and questioned the motives of the person accused of the killing.

Disney’s attorneys Beth Wilkinson and Paul Clement described the renewal order as an extraordinary procedural move. “The Commission issued an unprecedented order requiring the Stations to file early applications to renew their licenses—years before any of their licenses would have come up for renewal in the ordinary course and allowing only thirty days to file applications which ordinarily take months to prepare,” they wrote.

ABC is asking a federal court in Washington to stop the FCC from taking or threatening action linked to the early renewals. The company is also seeking a temporary restraining order. The legal pressure comes as Disney also faces a separate lawsuit from a former Disneyland performer over his treatment by the company. 

Carr has defended the FCC’s approach. He told CNBC in July that broadcasters using public airwaves have obligations to serve the public interest. He also suggested that broadcasters unhappy with those requirements could become podcasts or cable channels instead.

According to Bloomberg, the FCC chairman has also challenged Disney’s claim that The View qualifies as a legitimate news program. Disney has cited a 2002 FCC staff ruling. Carr has questioned whether the program remains comparable to what it was more than two decades ago.

FCC Commissioner Anna M. Gomez has backed Disney and ABC. She has previously urged companies to resist what she considers government intimidation. New Disney CEO Josh D’Amaro also defended the company’s position.

He later told CNBC that Disney would remain committed to journalistic integrity and would not allow the FCC to dictate how it runs its business. The White House and FCC Chairman Brendan Carr had not issued a public response to the lawsuit at the time of writing.

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