By Movieguide® Staff
The National Religious Broadcasters organization formally requested the FCC investigate comments recently made during an episode of JIMMY KIMMEL LIVE!
“While satire and commentary are protected forms of expression, there remains a clear line between protected speech and content that may undermine public safety or civic stability,” NRB President & CEO Troy A. Miller said in a statement. “Our request is not about silencing viewpoints. It is about ensuring accountability within the framework that governs over-the- air broadcasting.”
The comments were made by host Jimmy Kimmel shortly after a gunman attempted to storm this year’s White House Correspondents’ Dinner.
“Our First Lady, Melania, is here,” he said, then cutting to a clip of the First Lady, who was not actually in the studio audience. “Look at Melania, so beautiful. Mrs. Trump, you have a glow like an expectant widow.”
Related: NRB Takes a Stand Against Jimmy Kimmel’s Rhetoric Against the President
Kimmel has since defended the comments as an “obvious” joke, as well as a “very light roast.” Senator Ted Cruz has also spoken out in defense of Kimmel, telling Punchbowl News, “It is not [the] government’s job to censor speech, and I do not believe the FCC should operate as the speech police.”
The FCC recently announced an order for an early review of ABC’s license, JIMMY KIMMEL LIVE!’s network, which NRB expressed concern about.
“The FCC’s license renewal process works best when it is applied the same way to everyone,” Miller stated. “When that process is changed or sped up for one company, it creates real uncertainty — not just for that broadcaster, but for stations across the country, including many faith-based broadcasters who depend on a stable, predictable system to serve their communities.”
He added, “Selective or uneven application of regulatory processes undermines confidence in the system as a whole. Broadcasters of all sizes need clarity, consistency, and fairness from their regulators.”
The FCC maintains that the early review is part of an ongoing investigation into Disney’s diversity, equity and inclusion practices at networks like ABC and its affiliated stations.
The FCC is gearing up to launch a formal review of the broadcast licenses granted to Disney’s eight owned ABC stations over complaints about Jimmy Kimmel‘s joke about Melania Trump looking like an “expectant widow.”
The FCC, headed by Trump appointee Brendan Carr, “is moving… pic.twitter.com/a88okl1gJa
— Variety (@Variety) April 28, 2026
“ABC and its stations have a long record of operating in full compliance with FCC rules and serving their local communities with trusted news, emergency information, and public‑interest programming,” a Disney spokesperson said of the review. “We are confident that the record demonstrates our continued qualifications as licensees under the Communications Act and the First Amendment and are prepared to show that through the appropriate legal channels.”
We’ll have to wait to see if the FCC decides to investigate Kimmel.
Read Next: Vince Vaughn: ‘You Should Stand Up’ for Free Speech, Even When You Disagree
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