Trump’s FCC orders review of ABC licences after Kimmel’s ‘expectant widow’ joke

After a joke by late-night host Jimmy Kimmel drew calls from the White House for ABC to fire the comedian, the US Federal Communications Commission on Tuesday ordered an early licence review of the network’s television stations.

The stand-off between US President Donald Trump’s administration and the global entertainment conglomerate is the first crisis facing Walt Disney’s new CEO Josh D’Amaro.

Last Thursday, Kimmel, whose late-night television programme airs on Disney’s ‌ABC, did a send-up of the annual White House Correspondents’ Association dinner, joking that first lady Melania Trump had “a glow like an expectant widow”.

The joke was made just days before the actual black-tie dinner, celebrating press freedom and free speech, in Washington. The president and first lady were rushed from the dinner following an assassination attempt.

On Monday, the Trumps called for ABC to fire Kimmel, the latest incident of the White House pushing back on free speech that has roiled the world of late-night comedy. It has again placed Disney at the centre of a battle among media owners, regulators and political leaders in a highly charged political environment.

02:14

Trump uninjured after shots fired at White House correspondents’ dinner

Trump uninjured after shots fired at White House correspondents’ dinner

During his monologue ⁠on Monday night’s show, Kimmel said the “expectant widow” comment “obviously was a joke about their age difference”, that had been misconstrued. Trump will be 80 in June, and his wife ‌turned 56 this month.