“While Disney started as an iconic American company, it recently went all in on DEI.” That’s the accusation against the parent of ABC Owned Stations being lobbed on social media by none other than the Chairman of the FCC.
“I am concerned that their DEI practices may violate FCC prohibitions on invidious forms of discrimination,” says Brendan Carr.
Carr made his stance known late in the day Friday via the X social media platform owned by the Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE) head, Elon Musk. “In recent years, Disney made DEI a key priority, embedding explicit race- and gender-based criteria across its operations,” Carr charges. “Indeed, public reports—including ones based on whistleblower documents—paint a disturbing picture of Disney’s DEI practices.”
And, Carr’s post to X came 24 hours after a slick 1-minute video appeared, in which he said, “We’re moving on Trump Time at the FCC and running a fast-paced agenda.”
For Democrats, that’s not exactly welcomed — nor is the probe against ABC at a time when CBS is under strict scrutiny for alleged “news distortion” and NBC is also under the gun for actions tied to the appearance of Vice President Kamala Harris on Saturday Night Live just three days before the 2024 U.S. presidential elections.
AN ENFORCEMENT BUREAU REQUEST
Carr himself will not be leading the probe of Disney, which owns a collection of broadcast TV stations located in New York, Los Angeles, San Francisco, Houston, Chicago, Raleigh-Durham, Fresno and Philadelphia.
That job will be tasked to Patrick Webre, acting Enforcement Bureau Chief. This was stated in a three-page letter (including footnotes) sent to Disney CEO Bob Iger on Thursday.
In particular, he wants to ensure that Disney and ABC have not been violating FCC equal employment opportunity regulations “by promoting invidious forms of DEI discrimination.”
The word invidious has brought out the cat-callers on social media; a Teflon-donned Carr has brushed off the verbal criticisms.
In his letter to Iger, he continued, “While I have seen reports that Disney recently walked back some of its DEI programs, significant concerns remain.”
For one, Carr wants to ensure that Disney “ends any and all discriminatory initiatives in substance, not just name.” For another, Carr wants to determine whether Disney’s actions—whether ongoing or recently ended—complied at all times with applicable FCC regulations.
And, to be clear, Carr is simply asking questions — those based on “numerous reports” in the media. A formal investigation can only be had once these reports are vetted and confirmed. Nevertheless, detractors have assailed Carr for adding this ask to an aggressive initiative the opposition has bemoaned as a politically motivated witch hunt.
As Carr has made clear, promoting “invidious forms of discrimination cannot be squared with any reasonable interpretation of federal law.” Doing so, he says, “only deprives Americans of their rights to fair and equal treatment under the law.”
Carr concludes the letter to Iger by noting how President Trump “took quick and decisive action on this by issuing an Executive Order in his first week in office designed to end — in Carr’s words — “the radical and wasteful DEI programs that have spread across the federal government.”
At his direction, the FCC “has already taken action to end its own promotion of DEI.” He says, “As Chairman of the FCC, it is important to me that the entities the Commission regulates fully adhere to the FCC’s rules and regulations. In order to aid the FCC’s investigation into these matters, the Commission’s Enforcement Bureau will be engaging with your company to obtain an accounting of Disney and ABC’s DEI program.”
In a statement provided to various media outlets, The Walt Disney Co. said it is reviewing the FCC’s letter. “We look forward to engaging with the commission to answer its questions,” the company said.
In pre-market trading as of 8pm Eastern on Sunday, Disney shares were trading at $97.80, down 27 cents from Friday’s trading.
