The Federal Communications Commission (FCC) issued a warning on Thursday, March 27, indicating that ABC might be at risk of losing its broadcast license. This comes as Disney, ABC’s parent company, is under investigation for its diversity, equity, and inclusion (DEI) policies. This inquiry is part of the Trump administration’s efforts to dismantle such initiatives across various sectors, including government and private entities.
FCC Chairman Brendan Carr, speaking to Fox News on Monday, March 31, noted that Disney’s DEI practices could potentially breach federal regulations if they are found to be discriminatory.
Carr has also sent notifications to Comcast and Verizon, informing them of similar investigations into their diversity practices.
“If the evidence does in fact play out and shows that they were engaged in race- and gender-based discrimination, that’s a very serious issue at the FCC, that could fundamentally go to their character qualifications to even hold a license,” Carr said. “But we’re going to follow the facts wherever they go.”
Announcing the investigation into Disney and ABC, Carr stated that the commission has evidence suggesting potential violations of equal employment opportunity regulations by the media giant. This follows a similar probe into Comcast, the parent company of NBCUniversal, regarding similar DEI concerns.
Carr indicated that current evidence suggests Disney and ABC may have been making employment decisions based on race and gender, which includes forming race-specific affinity groups. Additionally, there is evidence of demographic-based quotas being implemented.
Disney acknowledged receiving the letter from Carr and expressed its willingness to cooperate with the investigation.
“We are reviewing the Federal Communications Commission’s letter, and we look forward to engaging with the commission to answer its questions,” Disney told The Hill.
The FCC investigation references Disney’s “Reimagine Tomorrow” initiative, which Carr described as a “mechanism for advancing its DEI mission.” He also mentioned a 2020 ABC memo that supposedly required at least half of regular and recurring characters, actors, and writing staff to be from “underrepresented groups.”
Under increasing scrutiny, Disney has made some changes to its diversity programs. Recently, the company adjusted its executive compensation policies, removing diversity and inclusion as a performance metric and replacing it with “talent strategy.” It also shortened warnings about racist stereotypes preceding certain classic movies.
The investigation into Disney is part of President Trump’s broader campaign against DEI initiatives. Since his return to office in January 2025, Trump has issued executive orders to dismantle DEI policies in schools, federal agencies, and the private sector.
One executive order directed the Secretary of State to remove “Diversity, Equity, Inclusion, and Accessibility” as a key factor for Foreign Service tenure and promotion. Another prohibited recruitment, hiring, promotion, or retention decisions in the Foreign Service based on an individual’s race, color, religion, sex, or national origin.
The White House has described these actions as “restoring common sense to government,” aiming to return to merit-based hiring. A statement from the White House claimed the administration has removed “discriminatory DEI offices, employees, and practices across the federal government.”
Nonetheless, the administration’s anti-DEI stance has faced legal challenges. In late March, a federal judge in Chicago, Illinois temporarily blocked parts of Trump’s executive orders in response to a lawsuit filed by Chicago Women in Trades, a non-profit organization assisting women in skilled construction trades.
The judge ruled that the certification requirement in the executive orders is “so broad and vague that it threatens the core mission” of such organizations. The ruling also noted that the vagueness of the orders, coupled with the threat of financial penalties, would likely pressure organizations to curb DEI programs unnecessarily.
In a separate case, another federal judge largely blocked Trump’s executive orders ending government support for DEI programs, finding they likely carried constitutional violations, including infringements on free-speech rights.
Meanwhile, the U.S. Education Department has threatened to withhold federal Title I funding from schools that do not comply with its interpretation of civil rights laws, which it claims prohibits DEI programs that “advantage one’s race over another.” This has sparked concern among educators, particularly in rural and low-income communities that rely heavily on federal support.
The American Federation of Teachers has filed a lawsuit to block the department’s guidelines, arguing that the administration is “wielding a cudgel of billions in federal aid” to force schools to conform to its political ideology.
DEI programs aim to enhance workplace representation and participation across different genders, races, ethnicities, religions, ages, sexual orientations, disabilities, and classes. Advocacy groups assert that these initiatives are strategies to equalize opportunities for disadvantaged groups, not quotas.
Critics of the Trump administration’s anti-DEI campaign argue that dismantling these efforts could deepen existing inequities in employment, education, and healthcare. Supporters, however, view the moves as necessary steps to eliminate what they perceive as discriminatory practices.
As the FCC continues its investigation into Disney and ABC, the broader battle over DEI policies in American institutions is likely to intensify, with significant implications for media companies, federal contractors, educational institutions, and the private sector.
