FCC orders review of ABC licenses after Kimmel joke offends Trump and first lady
FCC orders review of ABC licenses after Kimmel joke offends Trump and first lady
因吉米·坎摩尔（Jimmy Kimmel）的玩笑冒犯特朗普夫妇，美国联邦通信委员会（FCC）下令审查 ABC 广播执照
The Federal Communications Commission today opened an unusual review of ABC’s broadcast licenses, one day after President Trump and the first lady called on ABC to fire Jimmy Kimmel over a recent joke in which he said Melania Trump looked like an “expectant widow.” 美国联邦通信委员会（FCC）今日对 ABC 的广播执照展开了一项不同寻常的审查。此前一天，特朗普总统及第一夫人曾公开要求 ABC 解雇吉米·坎摩尔，起因是坎摩尔在近期节目中开玩笑称梅拉尼娅·特朗普看起来像一位“待守寡的遗孀”。
There are no TV station licenses for any company up for renewal until 2028, and the legal process for revoking licenses is so difficult that it’s been described as nearly impossible. But the FCC today issued an order instructing ABC owner Disney to file early license renewal applications for all of its licensed TV stations by May 28. 目前没有任何公司的电视台执照需要在 2028 年之前续期，且吊销执照的法律程序极其复杂，甚至被形容为“几乎不可能”。但 FCC 今日发布命令，要求 ABC 的母公司迪士尼在 5 月 28 日之前，为其旗下所有持牌电视台提交提前续期申请。
“FCC rules provide that whenever the FCC regards an application for a renewal of a license as essential to the proper conduct of an investigation, the FCC has the authority to call the broadcaster’s licenses in for early renewal,” the agency said. “Doing so both allows the FCC to conduct its ongoing investigation and enables the FCC to ensure that the broadcaster has been meeting its public interest obligations more broadly.” 该机构表示：“根据 FCC 规则，每当 FCC 认为执照续期申请对于开展调查至关重要时，FCC 有权要求广播公司提前进行执照续期。此举既能让 FCC 进行持续调查，也能确保广播公司在更广泛的层面上履行其公共利益义务。”
The demand apparently stems from FCC Chairman Brendan Carr’s opposition to Disney’s diversity, equity, and inclusion (DEI) practices, which he claims are a form of discrimination. Carr previously opened an investigation into the matter, and today’s order said the FCC “has been investigating Disney’s ABC stations for possible violations of the Communications Act of 1934 and the FCC’s rules, including the agency’s prohibition on unlawful discrimination.” 这一要求显然源于 FCC 主席布伦丹·卡尔（Brendan Carr）对迪士尼“多元、公平与包容”（DEI）政策的反对，他声称这些政策是一种歧视。卡尔此前已就此事展开调查，今日的命令指出，FCC “一直在调查迪士尼旗下的 ABC 电视台是否存在违反《1934 年通信法》及 FCC 规则的行为，包括违反该机构关于禁止非法歧视的规定。”
“While Disney’s ABC has purported to respond to two FCC Letters of Inquiry (LOIs) as part of this investigation, the FCC has determined that additional actions are appropriate at this time,” the agency order said. 该机构命令称：“尽管迪士尼旗下的 ABC 已声称针对此次调查回复了两份 FCC 调查函（LOI），但 FCC 认定目前采取进一步行动是恰当的。”
Kimmel’s pretend roast
坎摩尔的“模拟吐槽”
The license probe reportedly was sped up after the Kimmel joke. An NBC News article said that, while the proceeding ostensibly is about DEI, a source indicated that it was “fast-tracked after ABC late-night host Jimmy Kimmel made a joke about first lady Melania Trump.” 据报道，此次执照审查在坎摩尔开玩笑后被加速推进。NBC 新闻的一篇报道称，虽然该程序表面上是关于 DEI 问题，但有消息人士指出，这是在“ABC 深夜脱口秀主持人吉米·坎摩尔拿第一夫人梅拉尼娅·特朗普开玩笑后被快速跟进的”。
The uproar is over a Kimmel joke during a skit in which he pretended to deliver a roast at the White House Correspondents’ Dinner. “Our first lady, Melania, is here… So beautiful, Mrs. Trump, you have a glow like an expectant widow,” Kimmel said. Kimmel also suggested in his pretend roast that Trump and his wife were introduced to each other by Jeffrey Epstein. 引发轩然大波的是坎摩尔在一段短剧中的玩笑，他当时假装在白宫记者协会晚宴上进行“吐槽”。坎摩尔说：“我们的第一夫人梅拉尼娅也在场……特朗普夫人，你真美，你身上散发着一种待守寡遗孀般的光芒。”坎摩尔还在他的模拟吐槽中暗示，特朗普夫妇是由杰弗里·爱泼斯坦（Jeffrey Epstein）介绍认识的。
ABC owns eight TV stations in New York, Los Angeles, Chicago, Philadelphia, Houston, San Francisco, Raleigh-Durham, and Fresno. The stations’ licenses were originally scheduled for renewals between 2028 and 2031, a Disney spokesperson told Ars today. ABC 在纽约、洛杉矶、芝加哥、费城、休斯顿、旧金山、罗利-达勒姆和弗雷斯诺拥有八家电视台。迪士尼发言人今日告诉 Ars，这些电视台的执照原定于 2028 年至 2031 年间续期。
“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,” Disney said in a statement provided to Ars. “We are confident that 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.” 迪士尼在提供给 Ars 的声明中表示：“ABC 及其所属电视台长期以来一直完全遵守 FCC 规则，并以可信的新闻、紧急信息和公共利益节目服务于当地社区。我们相信，这一记录证明了我们作为《通信法》和宪法第一修正案下的持牌人，始终具备相关资格，我们已准备好通过适当的法律渠道证明这一点。”
“Retribution for a joke Donald Trump didn’t like”
“对唐纳德·特朗普不喜欢的一个玩笑的报复”
Anna Gomez, the only Democratic FCC commissioner, said in a statement today that the Disney review “is the most egregious action this FCC has taken in violation of the First Amendment to date. As part of its ongoing campaign of censorship and control, the White House called publicly for the silencing of a vocal critic, and this FCC has now answered that call. This is an unprecedented and politically motivated attempt to interfere with how broadcasters operate, and this unlawful overreach will fail.” FCC 唯一的民主党籍委员安娜·戈麦斯（Anna Gomez）今日发表声明称，对迪士尼的审查“是本届 FCC 迄今为止违反宪法第一修正案的最恶劣行为。作为其持续进行的审查与控制运动的一部分，白宫公开呼吁让一位直言不讳的批评者闭嘴，而本届 FCC 现在响应了这一呼吁。这是一次史无前例且出于政治动机的尝试，旨在干预广播公司的运作，这种非法的越权行为终将失败。”
“This should be a lesson to media companies that no amount of capitulation to this administration will buy them protection. The only choice is to stand up and stand firm in defense of the First Amendment.” “这应该给媒体公司上一课：无论对本届政府做出多少妥协，都无法换取保护。唯一的选择就是站出来，坚定地捍卫宪法第一修正案。”
Media advocacy group Free Press said that demanding an early license renewal “is an extremely rare escalation.” Free Press co-CEO Jessica J. González said, “Carr will try to dress up this latest attack like a legitimate FCC procedure, but his motivations are clear. He is using his position of power to silence dissent at the president’s beck and call… The timing of this move suggests unconstitutional retribution for a joke Donald Trump didn’t like.” 媒体倡导组织“自由新闻”（Free Press）表示，要求提前续期执照“是一种极其罕见的升级”。自由新闻联席首席执行官杰西卡·J·冈萨雷斯（Jessica J. González）表示：“卡尔会试图将这次最新的攻击包装成合法的 FCC 程序，但他的动机显而易见。他正在利用自己的权力地位，听从总统的召唤来压制异见……此举的时机表明，这是对唐纳德·特朗普不喜欢的一个玩笑进行的违宪报复。”
An ABC probe could examine DEI, Kimmel’s comedy, and other shows. Carr threatened ABC station licenses in September 2025, alleging at the time that airing Kimmel’s show might violate the rarely enforced news distortion policy. He later opened an equal-time rule investigation into ABC’s The View, even though the interview portions of talk shows have historically been exempt from the rule. 对 ABC 的调查可能会涉及 DEI、坎摩尔的喜剧节目以及其他节目。卡尔曾在 2025 年 9 月威胁过 ABC 的电视台执照，当时他声称播出坎摩尔的节目可能违反了极少执行的“新闻扭曲政策”。他后来还对 ABC 的《观点》（The View）节目展开了“平等时间规则”调查，尽管脱口秀节目的采访部分在历史上一直被豁免于该规则。
Carr’s investigations into media generally haven’t gone very far, but the probes cause trouble for news organizations even if they don’t result in penalties. Carr has also used merger reviews to impose requirements related to DEI and news coverage, since large companies are willing to make concessions in exchange for transaction approvals. 卡尔对媒体的调查通常没有取得实质性进展，但即使这些调查最终没有导致处罚，也会给新闻机构带来麻烦。卡尔还曾利用并购审查来施加与 DEI 和新闻报道相关的要求，因为大公司为了获得交易批准往往愿意做出让步。
Trump’s fight against comedy
特朗普对喜剧的“战争”
Trump skipped the White House Correspondents’ Association dinner in previous years but attended this year’s event on April 25. The dinner was cut short by gunshots in an apparent assassination attempt. Kimmel’s monologue and skit aired last week, before the dinner occurred. 特朗普在过去几年缺席了白宫记者协会晚宴，但出席了今年 4 月 25 日的活动。晚宴因发生疑似暗杀企图的枪击事件而被迫中断。坎摩尔的独白和短剧是在上周、即晚宴举行之前播出的。
Kimmel said the event typically includes remarks from a comedian, but that this year’s event had no comedian because “our president is a delicate snowflake.” Kimmel introduced the skit by saying he had decided to “do some of the jokes a comedian might do if our president wasn’t a trembling drama queen who’s scared of comedy.” 坎摩尔表示，该活动通常会有喜剧演员的发言，但今年的活动没有喜剧演员，因为“我们的总统是一朵脆弱的雪花”。坎摩尔在介绍短剧时说，他决定“讲一些如果我们的总统不是一个害怕喜剧、战战兢兢的戏剧女王，喜剧演员可能会讲的笑话。”
In a Truth Social post yesterday, Trump linked the “expectant widow” joke to the shooting. “A day later a lunatic tried entering the ballroom of the White House Correspondents Dinner, loaded up with a shotgun, handgun,” 在昨天的一篇“真实社交”（Truth Social）帖子中，特朗普将“待守寡遗孀”的玩笑与枪击事件联系起来。“一天后，一个疯子带着霰弹枪和手枪试图进入白宫记者晚宴的宴会厅，”