For many months now, the FCC has had Disney and ABC in the crosshairs, with the org’s chairman Brendan Carr initially angling at Jimmy Kimmel in regards to the late night host’s highly publicized 2025 suspension. (More people reportedly complained about the FCC than to the FCC at the time.) Since then, Carr has been more wholly focused on The View, its choices of guests, and how it’s classified as a TV program.
Might there be some kind of an end in sight for this slowly moving and not-so-transparent legal ordeal? That’s hard to say, but it does sound like the FCC’s next moves will be made sooner rather than later. Here’s how things could shake out as the summer continues.
The FCC Will Reportedly Take Action In The Next 6 Weeks Or So
According to Bloomberg, the FCC is expected to move forward with whatever action it's taking against ABC and Disney at some point in the next month, meaning there could be a line drawn in the sand by mid-August. While the exact timing isn't set, it's implied that the commission is aiming to start up its dual-front probes into the entertainment companies before the Labor Day holiday arrives. So unless things go sideways, September 7 sounds like a firm-esque point of no return.
But while that loose timing window may be allegedly in place, according to the outlet's sources, it's still not entirely clear which route the FCC will be going, and what Brendan Carr will ultimately decide to do. Still, the agency's goals are well-known enough, with two investigative probes aiming to uncover potentially punishable offenses.
The Two FCC Probes That ABC And Disney Are Facing
The more publicized FCC investigation specifically involves whether or not The View counts more as an "entertainment" or a "news" program, and whether or not the daytime chat show should be required to follow the same rules that other shows under the same classification need to follow. This is where the "Equal Times" rule comes into play, where if certain U.S. programs give a spotlight to political candidates from one party, they must necessarily provide the same to one from an opposing party.
If The View is determined to be a "bona fide news interview program," that would classify it as an individual news broadcast, and would thus make it exempt from the equal time rule. Which likely means the FCC is not going to rule that way. Though that may not necessarily be the biggest setback, since The View does feature conservative-leaning guests, most recently with Vice Prez J.D. Vance appearing for a lengthy interview, with former Rep. Marjorie Taylor Greene bringing the heat to the table just last week.
Probe #2 is a bit more opaque for the average TV viewer, and involves jugment of whether or not Disney is fit to continue holding local TV station licenses. That probe started earlier this year, with the FCC's explanation being that the studio was not open enough with responses to questions about practices involving inclusion and diversity.
It will apparently come down to whether or not Carr & Co. wish to continue forward with an internal judicial review, which could potentially result in Disney losing stations in major metro areas like L.A. and New York. It could also potentially result in nothing major happening. Just depends on what the FCC probers turn up, and whether or not anything seems flagrant enough to act against.
For now, and at least for the next few weeks, everything will likely play out as normal over on The View. Here's who's appearing across Thursday and Friday.
The View Upcoming Guests
- Thursday, July 16 — Anya Taylor-Joy (Lucky), Broadway’s Aladdin performance; Ladies Get Lit
- Friday, July 17 — Hannah Waddingham (Ride or Die), Ladies Get Lit
The View airs every weekday morning on ABC, and recent episodes are available to stream next-day via Hulu subscription.
