Trump administration challenges ABC station licenses after Jimmy Kimmel's remarks on Melania Trump

Washington, April 29 The Trump administration is moving to challenge ABC's station licenses, according to an order published by the Federal Communications Commission (FCC), signalling an escalation in tensions following late-night host Jimmy Kimmel's recent controversial remarks about First Lady Melania Trump.

"Disney's ABC is hereby directed to file license renewals for all of their licensed TV stations within 30 days -- in other words, by May 28, 2026," the order said on Tuesday (local time).

Calling the FCC order the start of "a protracted legal process," a CNN report said that it is "an extraordinary escalation" by the Trump administration.

The report noted that while the FCC asserts that the license review is related to an ongoing probe into Disney's diversity initiatives, "it is being widely viewed as a form of government retaliation for airing Kimmel's show and resisting Trump's pressure."

On Monday, Melania Trump lashed out at Kimmel on X, saying that "his monologue about my family isn't comedy -- his words are corrosive and deepen the political sickness within America."

"Enough is enough. It is time for ABC to take a stand. How many times will ABC's leadership enable Kimmel's atrocious behaviour at the expense of our community," she wrote.

The remarks were in response to Kimmel's comment last week about Melania Trump looking like an "expectant widow."

US President Donald Trump weighed in on Truth Social on Monday, blaming Kimmel's "call to violence" for Saturday's shooting incident outside the White House Correspondents' Association Dinner and saying he "should be immediately fired."

Disney, meanwhile, appeared to show support for Kimmel by continuing to air the show on Monday night, reports Xinhua news agency.

In his Monday night monologue, Kimmel said that his comment last week was a "light roast" about the age difference between the president and the first lady, "about the fact that he is almost 80 and she's younger than I am."

"Jimmy Kimmel Live" is one of the several nationally recognised late-night talk shows in the country.

The show was briefly suspended last fall amid an earlier campaign of government pressure against ABC, after Kimmel's controversial comments about the conservative activist and influencer Charlie Kirk, who was fatally shot. The suspension sparked widespread backlash.

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