FCC’s last Democrat just exposed how Trump turned the agency into a censorship hammer, warning the attacks won’t stop until ABC fires Kimmel
The free speech question.
The FCC’s only Democratic commissioner just dropped a bombshell letter accusing the Trump administration of weaponizing her agency to bully ABC into silencing Jimmy Kimmel. Anna Gomez sent a scathing message to Disney CEO Josh D’Amaro on May 11, 2026, calling out a “sustained, coordinated campaign of censorship and control” that she says is designed to strong-arm broadcasters into submission.
According to Mediaite, Gomez didn’t hold back in her letter, which was first reported by the Wall Street Journal. She laid out a pattern of what she called “not a series of coincidental regulatory actions,” pointing to recent FCC moves that seem to target ABC and Disney with unusual intensity.
The agency ordered eight ABC-owned TV stations to file early license renewal requests in April, a step that often signals potential fines or even the threat of losing their broadcast licenses. That decision landed just days after Trump publicly demanded Kimmel’s firing over a joke about Melania Trump, where the late-night host joked she had the “glow of an expectant widow.”
Gomez said the timing was anything but accidental
The letter also revisited a 2025 incident where Disney briefly suspended Kimmel after MAGA outrage over a false claim he made about the assassination of conservative activist Charlie Kirk. Gomez didn’t mince words: “The goal was clear: use regulatory pressure to force his removal from the air and send a message to every other broadcaster about the cost of critical coverage.”
Gomez’s warning to Disney was blunt. She referenced ABC’s $16 million settlement in Trump’s 2024 defamation suit against anchor George Stephanopoulos, telling D’Amaro that the payout “did not buy you peace.” Instead, she wrote, “You cannot buy this Administration’s favor. For the right price, you can only borrow it. And the price always goes up.”
That’s not just a regulatory threat; it’s a political one. Gomez even quoted Supreme Court Justice Neil Gorsuch invoking Thurgood Marshall to drive the point home: “The value of a sword of Damocles is that it hangs, not that it drops.” In other words, the mere threat of FCC action is enough to keep broadcasters in line.
Trump’s personal vendetta against Kimmel has been impossible to ignore
Last month, he took to Truth Social to demand ABC fire the host, calling him “seriously unfunny” and claiming “people are angry.” His post was direct: “It better be soon!!!” The president’s frustration stemmed from a joke Kimmel made about Melania Trump, where he joked she looked like an “expectant widow” while emceeing the White House Correspondents’ Dinner.
The event was cut short after an alleged gunman tried to storm it, though authorities haven’t linked the incident to Kimmel’s remarks. Still, the backlash was swift. Both Melania and Trump called for Kimmel’s firing, and the FCC quickly followed up with a formal complaint.
The FCC’s investigation into Disney and ABC isn’t just about Kimmel’s jokes, though. The agency has been digging into the company’s diversity, equity, and inclusion (DEI) practices, as well as its handling of a 2024 presidential debate between Trump and Kamala Harris.
Gomez’s letter suggests these probes are part of a broader strategy to pressure ABC into toeing the line. She vowed to use “every tool available” to expose what she called the FCC’s efforts to “curtail press freedom,” but with Republicans controlling the agency, her options are limited.
The timing of the FCC’s early license renewal request is also particularly telling
ABC’s licenses weren’t set to expire until 2028, but the agency suddenly demanded reapplying by May 28. That kind of accelerated timeline is rare and usually reserved for stations facing serious compliance issues. For ABC, it’s a clear signal that the FCC is keeping the pressure on and that the Trump administration isn’t backing down. Gomez’s letter says the agency is being used as a tool to punish networks that don’t fall in line with the White House’s narrative.
Gomez’s letter is a rare public rebuke from inside the FCC, and it’s a sign of just how politicized the agency has become. With Republicans in control, she’s the lone Democratic voice trying to push back against what she sees as an abuse of power. But her warning to Disney is also a warning to the rest of the media: if you cross this administration, the FCC won’t just investigate; it’ll make sure you feel the heat.
(Featured image: minkey8885)
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