Trump's FCC commissioner opens investigation into Walt Disney Co. and
ABC for diversity policies
[March 29, 2025] By
DAVID BAUDER
President Donald Trump's FCC commissioner said Friday he's opening an
investigation into the Walt Disney Co. and its ABC television network to
see whether they are “promoting invidious forms of DEI discrimination.”
FCC Commissioner Brendan Carr announced the probe in a letter to Disney
CEO Robert Iger on Friday. The company said it was reviewing the letter
and looking forward to answering the commission's questions.
The new administration has taken an aggressive posture toward the media
on several fronts. Just this week, there were court hearings on the
shutdown of Voice of America and the president's dispute with The
Associated Press over how the news agency refers to the Gulf of Mexico,
which Trump has ordered renamed the Gulf of America.
Carr has pushed the Federal Communications Commission into an activist
role since Trump appointed him as its leader. For example, the FCC
currently has open investigations into ABC, CBS and NBC News.
“For decades, Disney focused on churning out box office and programming
successes,” Carr wrote to Iger. “But then something changed. Disney has
now become embroiled in rounds of controversy surrounding its DEI
policies.”
He said that while he has seen reports that Disney has rolled back some
of its practices, “significant concerns remain.”
Last month, Axios reported that Disney had made some policy changes,
including eliminating a website designed to highlight personalities and
stories from underrepresented communities.
[to top of second column] |
Brendan Carr, a Federal Communications Commission commissioner,
speaks during a Senate Commerce, Science, and Transportation
committee hearing on Capitol Hill in Washington, June 24, 2020.
(Alex Wong/Pool via AP File)
 Disney also softened messages that
appeared before showings of movies like “Dumbo” and “Peter Pan,”
Axios said. Instead of warnings that the films include “negative
depictions and/or mistreatment of peoples or culture,” the messages
changed to “this program is presented as originally created and may
contain stereotypes or negative depictions.”
Carr's letter linked to an article by conservative activist
Christopher Rufo describing Disney as “the wokest place on Earth.”
Some examples Carr cited go back several years, such as a one-time
policy at Disney-owned ABC that at least 50 percent of characters in
TV pilots be from underrepresented groups. The letter cites a
statement by a Disney executive in 2021 that it rejected some TV
pilots because they didn't satisfy inclusion standards.
Trump has targeted all manner of DEI — standing for diversity,
equity and inclusion — efforts across both public and private
organizations.
“At my direction, the FCC has already taken action to end its own
promotion of DEI,” Carr wrote. “I have been pleased to see that some
regulated companies are already taking steps toward rooting out
discriminatory DEI policies.”
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