The fallout from Jimmy Kimmel’s suspension continues to ripple through ABC — and now another flagship program, The View, may find itself in the FCC’s crosshairs.
Federal Communications Commission Chairman Brendan Carr said Thursday that it may be “worthwhile” to investigate whether The View is violating broadcast rules, particularly the long-standing “equal time” provision. That rule requires broadcasters to provide equal airtime to legally qualified political candidates, unless the program qualifies as a “bona fide news show.”
And that’s where Carr raised eyebrows.
“Potentially, I would assume you can make the argument that The View is a bona fide news show, but I’m not so sure about that,” Carr told The Scott Jennings Show. “And I think it’s worthwhile to have the FCC look into whether The View and some of these other programs that you have still qualify as bona fide news programs and therefore exempt from the equal opportunity regime that Congress has put in place.”
The numbers don’t help ABC’s case. According to watchdog group Media Research Center, from January through April 2025, The View hosted 63 liberal guests — including nine Democratic politicians — while failing to book a single right-leaning guest to discuss politics. For a program claiming the “news” exemption, that imbalance could prove problematic.
The FCC chairman’s remarks come just one day after Jimmy Kimmel Live! was suspended indefinitely following Kimmel’s false and inflammatory comments linking Charlie Kirk’s assassin to the “MAGA gang.” The suspension triggered a wave of debate over free speech, accountability, and the obligations of broadcast license holders to operate in the public interest.
Carr has been blunt on that point: “Broadcasters … have a license granted by us at the FCC, and that comes with it an obligation to operate in the public interest. Look, we can do this the easy way or the hard way.”
Behind the scenes, there is speculation that ABC’s tolerance for politically charged programming is wearing thin. One entertainment lawyer with clients at multiple networks told Fox News Digital, “I think The View is next,” pointing to its increasingly partisan brand.
Notably, The View has so far ignored the Kimmel scandal. Thursday’s broadcast made no mention of his suspension, and insiders told Fox News Digital that Friday’s pre-taped episode won’t address it either.
What remains to be seen is whether Carr’s suggestion leads to a formal review — or whether ABC, facing mounting pressure, will make preemptive changes of its own.
