politics
Disney Files FCC Objection Over Regulation of 'The View' Guests
The company objected this week to federal efforts to regulate political guests on its daytime talk show 'The View,' calling the move unprecedented and a threat to free speech. The filing marks the second recent instance in which the company has resisted pressure related to its programming. It follows an earlier period in which the company had complied with certain demands.
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The company has shifted its approach toward federal oversight of its content, moving from initial compliance to firmer resistance on specific issues. In a filing with the federal government this week, the company pushed back against efforts to regulate which guests can appear on "The View," describing those efforts as unprecedented and a threat to free speech.
The objection centers on the FCC's use of its equal time clause to influence programming decisions on daytime television. While the dispute is formally with the FCC, the agency head was appointed by the current administration and has been described as aligned with its priorities.
The company is aware that its critique will be received in that context.
This marks the second time in recent weeks that the company has resisted pressure from the White House. Last month, after public calls to punish a late-night host for a joke involving the president's family, the FCC announced it would review the company's broadcast licenses years ahead of schedule.
The host has remained on air and continued making similar jokes. The company had previously taken steps to accommodate administration preferences. In the fall of 2024, after the presidential election but before the inauguration, it settled a defamation suit by paying $15 million to the president's planned presidential library.
In the fall of 2025, it briefly removed the late-night host from the air following a complaint from the FCC chair about another joke involving the president.
