Disney’s Bold Move: Get ‘The View’ Off the Hook!

Empty podium in White House press briefing room.

Disney is asking the federal government to classify The View as a “bona fide news interview program” — a legal maneuver that would exempt the show from equal-time rules for political candidates — and the Federal Communications Commission (FCC) is now asking the American public to weigh in.

Story Snapshot

Disney filed a petition with the FCC seeking to classify The View as a bona fide news interview program, which would exempt it from equal-time obligations for political candidates.
The FCC opened a public comment period, asking whether the show’s format and guest decisions are driven by newsworthiness or by an intent to support or oppose specific candidates.
FCC Chair Brendan Carr stated that Congress designed equal-time law to prevent media gatekeepers from deciding election outcomes — a direct challenge to Disney’s argument.
The FCC has already been enforcing equal-time rules against The View and imposing paperwork burdens on ABC affiliate stations over candidate appearances on the program.

Disney’s Legal Play to Escape Equal-Time Rules

Disney filed a petition with the FCC asking the agency to formally classify The View as a “bona fide news interview program” under Section 315 of the Communications Act. That classification would exempt the show from the equal-opportunities rule, meaning ABC would not be required to give opposing political candidates air time after a candidate appears on the program. Disney’s argument rests on the idea that the show functions like an established news interview format rather than as political entertainment.

The FCC responded not with an approval, but with a public notice soliciting comment. The agency stated it had “not been presented with any evidence” that interview portions of current late-night or daytime talk shows qualify for the bona fide news exemption. The Commission also made clear that programs motivated by partisan purposes are disqualified under longstanding precedent — a pointed signal that Disney’s petition faces serious scrutiny rather than a rubber stamp.

The FCC’s Central Question: News or Partisan Advocacy?

The FCC framed its public inquiry around a specific legal test: whether decisions on The View — including its format and choice of participants — are based on newsworthiness, or instead reflect an attempt to support or oppose particular candidates. That distinction matters enormously under broadcast law. FCC Chair Brendan Carr publicly stated that Congress designed the equal-opportunities law to prevent media gatekeepers from deciding election outcomes and to give voters more information, not less.

The FCC has a relevant precedent from 2006 involving Jay Leno, whose late-night interviews were deemed bona fide news interviews — exempting them from equal-time requirements. The Commission acknowledged that standard but noted no current daytime or late-night talk show has been shown to meet it. That puts the burden squarely on Disney to prove The View operates with genuine journalistic criteria rather than ideological booking preferences.

A Regulatory Record Already Building Against ABC

The FCC’s scrutiny of Disney and ABC did not begin with this petition. The Commission sent letters of inquiry to Disney in March 2023 and June 2023, followed by a supplemental inquiry in February 2024. Disney responded with hundreds of documents, then produced additional pages more recently. That administrative paper trail reflects a sustained review of ABC’s broadcast conduct — not a sudden political attack, but an ongoing formal process.

Response To FCC Request For Public Comment On Disney The View Exemption

Re. @WBAY #FCC/In Response To Public Comment On @TheView:⁰When @WaltDisneyCo stops sabotaging the country that allows it to do almost #100Billion in annual sales around the globe at the expense of the… https://t.co/wMvxWSSBhb

— Follow Me On GETTR Instead. I’m @AmericasMansMan (@PeterVadala) May 25, 2026

Beyond the classification fight, the FCC has already been enforcing equal-time rules against The View directly, requiring ABC affiliate stations to manage paperwork obligations whenever political candidates appear on the program. That enforcement posture signals the Commission already treats candidate appearances on The View as subject to equal-opportunities obligations — the opposite of what Disney’s petition seeks. For conservatives who have long argued that shows like The View function as thinly veiled political operations rather than journalism, the FCC’s skepticism reflects common sense backed by federal broadcast law.