ABC accuses FCC of trying to 'sit in an editor's chair' in escalating fight over 'The View'
Disney-owned ABC filed a forceful reply with the FCC on Tuesday, arguing that its talk show 'The View' is a bona fide news program and that the regulator's probe threatens First Amendment rights.
The dispute
ABC and its parent company Disney are pushing back against the Federal Communications Commission over whether the daytime talk show 'The View' must comply with equal time rules for political candidates. The FCC, led by Chairman Brendan Carr, opened an investigation in February after an appearance by Democratic Senate candidate James Talarico. Carr has argued that 'The View' is not a bona fide news program and therefore not exempt from the requirement to offer airtime to opposing candidates.
ABC contends the question was settled in 2002 when the FCC itself classified the show as a bona fide news program. The network says the commission is now selectively targeting programmes perceived as unfriendly to the Trump administration while ignoring conservative talk radio, where candidates also appear without opponents.
The First Amendment does not permit the government to sit in an editor's chair. Yet that is the seat the Commission now proposes to take -- deciding which broadcast programs qualify as legitimate news and, for those it finds wanting, compelling them to surrender their airtime to guests they never chose to feature.
How the dispute unfolded
The timeline of the clash stretches back to early 2026. In February the FCC announced its investigation. In March it ordered ABC to seek a declaratory ruling on the show's status. In April Carr separately ordered an accelerated review of Disney's eight ABC station licenses, a day after President Trump demanded late-night host Jimmy Kimmel be fired for a joke. ABC launched an on-air campaign in June urging viewers to submit comments to the FCC ahead of the July 6 deadline.
- FCC opens investigation into whether 'The View' violated equal time rules after James Talarico appearance.
- FCC orders ABC to seek a declaratory ruling that 'The View' is a bona fide news program.
- FCC Chairman Carr orders early review of ABC station licenses after Trump demands Jimmy Kimmel be fired.
- ABC launches on-air campaign urging viewers to submit comments to the FCC.
- Public comment period ends; over 77,000 comments filed, majority supporting 'The View'.
- ABC files reply comments, arguing First Amendment protects editorial discretion.
Public and political reaction
More than 77,000 comments were filed during the public comment period, and ABC says an overwhelming majority support the show and free speech. Anna M. Gomez, the lone Democrat on the commission, sided with the network.
You don't have to like their coverage to see the danger here. Handing government the power to decide what's newsworthy and which guests to feature is a threat to press freedom, no matter which party is in charge.
An FCC spokesperson dismissed ABC's stance, saying the network should focus on its public interest obligations rather than misleading the public. Carr has called the ABC ads a "campaign of misinformation".
Broader implications
The fight is the latest front in a wider confrontation between the Trump White House and US media. Trump has repeatedly demanded the FCC strip ABC of its broadcast licenses. The commission has not revoked a broadcast license in more than four decades. ABC's filing, signed by lawyer Paul Clement, warns that the principle at stake extends beyond one programme.
Today, the programme in the Commission's sights is The View. The principle in the balance is far larger: whether a federal regulator may override a broadcaster's editorial judgment about whom to interview -- a judgment the Constitution commits to broadcasters and their audiences, not to the state.
The network's aggressive defence marks a departure from its 2024 decision to settle a lawsuit brought by Trump for $15 million. Legal experts say ABC now has stronger leverage, partly because the administration's track record against media companies has weakened.
