ACLU demands FCC records after agency ordered ABC license renewal one day after Trump called for Kimmel's firing

On 27 April 2026, Donald Trump posted that Kimmel should be "immediately fired"; Melania Trump called on ABC to "take a stand." On 28 April, the FCC's Media Bureau ordered Disney to file renewal applications for all eight ABC-owned stations within 30 days — licenses not otherwise due until 2028–2031. The ACLU's 11 August FOIA request calls the FCC's rationale "mere pretext."