FCC Chair Denies White House Pressure Over ABC License Review Tied to Kimmel Joke
TL;DR Summary
FCC Chairman Brendan Carr said there was no outside White House pressure to accelerate ABC’s license review over Jimmy Kimmel’s Melania Trump joke; he framed the move as part of an investigation into Disney/ABC’s nondiscrimination and DEI practices, not speech. The timing drew political scrutiny as Trump and others criticized Kimmel, while groups like the NRB and NAB weighed in and petitions were encouraged as part of the public-interest review.
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