ABC has acknowledged that pressure from the Federal Communications Commission (FCC) has led producers of the daytime talk show "The View" to book fewer political candidates as guests in recent months. The admission was made in a lawsuit filed by ABC on Tuesday, as the network seeks to halt enforcement proceedings initiated by the FCC in February.
The FCC, under the leadership of Donald Trump-appointed Chairman Brendan Carr, began its probe following an appearance by then-Texas Democratic Senate candidate James Talarico. Carr cited a potential violation of the equal time rule, a nearly century-old regulation intended to prevent broadcast stations from influencing election outcomes through candidate appearances.
Historically, exemptions established in the 1990s allowed programs like "The View" and certain late-night shows to book guests without adhering strictly to the equal time rule, provided they were considered "bona fide newscasts." Carr's inquiry placed this arrangement and ABC's broadcast license under review.
As a consequence of the FCC's scrutiny, "The View" has reportedly passed on booking several political candidates, with none appearing on the program since February. The suit also indicated that the types of video clips featured in the show's "Hot Topics" segment and cold open have been affected. ABC attorneys stated that the network chose not to air clips it otherwise would have because they could be construed as candidate "appearances" under the equal time stipulation, potentially impacting the ongoing FCC review.
"Although there have been no changes in the program’s editorial standards regarding the newsworthiness of any candidate who might otherwise have been invited during this period, the cumulative pressure from the FCC’s multiple actions against ABC has impacted the program’s decisions about which guests to invite," ABC's filing reads. "Those escalating pressures have led Plaintiffs to be more circumspect in booking political candidates on 'The View,' and have resulted in passing on further consideration of booking several political candidates."
Despite the alleged decrease in bookings, "The View" has hosted some politicians and political figures since the review began. These include Kentucky Governor Andy Beshear, former Chicago Mayor Rahm Emanuel, Connecticut Senator Chris Murphy, and former First Lady Jill Biden, all of whom are Democrats. Talarico, the candidate whose appearance triggered the review, was a member of the Texas House of Representatives at the time.
This is not the first instance of the FCC examining ABC's programming. Prior to this review, Carr had threatened to investigate ABC and its affiliates for "news distortion" after a comment made by Jimmy Kimmel about conservatives.
ABC's lawsuit contends that the FCC's actions constitute an attempt by the administration to penalize ABC for speech it dislikes. Carr, however, has denied that the current review is related to past comments made by Kimmel about Melania Trump.
The FCC, an independent agency, has not revoked a broadcast license since 1969. A previous study by the Media Research Center's NewsBusters found that "The View" had hosted a significantly higher number of left-leaning guests compared to conservative guests in the first seven months of 2025.