FCC Chair Signals Possible Probe Into The View After Kimmel Suspension

WASHINGTON — FCC Chairman Brendan Carr signaled that it may be worthwhile to look into whether The View is violating the commission’s rules in the wake of ABC’s suspension of Jimmy Kimmel Live., a development that has drawn renewed attention to how late-male talk shows are treated under the FCC’s political programming rules.

Carr made the remarks during an appearance on Scott Jennings’ podcast, where he discussed the long-standing equal opportunity rule that governs political air time. The rule requires broadcasters to provide equal time and opportunity to opposing candidates in the run-up to elections when a partisan election official appears on a program. The rule also includes a bona fide news exception that can excuse a program from having to give equal time to a political figure.

The official details of what counts as bona fide news, and which programs qualify, have long been a source of debate for television formats that blend news and entertainment. Carr noted that, historically, most late-night shows – with the exception of Saturday Night Live – have been considered bonafide news programs for purposes of the exception. Still, he said he was not certain that the same designation automatically applies to The View. “I would assume you could make the argument that The View is a bona fide news program,” Carr said, but he added that it is worthwhile to have the FCC look into whether The View and some of these other programs that you have still qualify as bonafide news programs.

If the standard were to be applied strictly, a program’s status could determine whether it must offer equal time to candidates or accept the consequences of not doing so in a partisan political moment. The discussion comes as ABC, which also airs The View, faced scrutiny after Jimmy Kimmel Live was suspended indefinitely in a separate development that drew monitoring attention to late-night television and political coverage. The FCC has not announced any investigation into The View, but Carr’s comments indicate that regulators are considering how evolving formats and the lines between news and opinion might affect compliance with the equal-time framework.

The View is a daytime talk show that has built its brand around a mix of political debate and pop culture commentary. The program’s roster has included Whoopi Goldberg, Joy Behar, Sara Haines, Alyssa Farah Griffin, Ana Navarro and Sunny Hostin. The panel is known for its willingness to engage with current events and political figures, and some episodes have drawn headlines for interviews or discussions that border on policy in nature. The program’s platform sits within ABC, the network that also broadcasts Jimmy Kimmel Live, which has been cited in discussions about how ABC handles political content across its lineup.

The show’s history with political guests is notable. The View has invited prominent political figures for discussions and interviews, including former President Biden in a high-profile interview during his time in office and a planned appearance by Vice President Kamala Harris on Sept. 23. Deadline and other outlets have reported on past invitations extended to former President Trump; Trump did appear prior to his presidency, and executive producer Brian Teta noted in 2024 that the show had invited Trump to join the table for both the 2016 and 2020 elections but that Trump declined, a policy the program had previously reiterated as unlikely to change. Such histories complicate any simple categorization of the program as strictly “news” or strictly “opinion” in the eyes of regulators.

The timing of Carr’s remarks matters because it frames FCC scrutiny against a backdrop of evolving broadcast norms and heightened sensitivity to political content in entertainment programming. While the agency has not opened an inquiry into The View, Carr’s comments suggest that the FCC could revisit how the bona fide news exception is applied to daytime talk shows that regularly discuss politics or feature political guests. If regulators were to pursue a formal review, the process would likely involve assessments of the program’s content, its editorial processes, and whether the show is primarily a news platform or a format that blends commentary with entertainment.

Industry observers note that regulatory guidance on what constitutes bona fide news is not static. Decisions have historically hinged on case-by-case analyses of how a program presents information, the presence of hard news reporting elements, and the program’s self-identity. For The View, a program whose format has long included political debate and opinion, the question of whether it falls under the bona fide news umbrella could influence not only its own treatment under the equal-time rule but also broader regulatory expectations for similar daytime dialogue programs.

The View and ABC have not issued statements indicating any formal regulatory action. In the absence of an agency determination, the dialogue around the program remains speculative and increasingly technical, focusing on how regulatory definitions intersect with network scheduling, editorial control, and the evolving media landscape where news and talk formats increasingly overlap. The FCC has historically balanced the need to uphold fair access to candidates with the practical realities of modern television programming, where audiences seek both information and commentary from a wide array of sources.

As political events continue to unfold and networks reassess how to handle politically charged content across daytime and late-night schedules, regulatory questions surrounding shows like The View are likely to persist. The current situation underscores the broader conversation about transparency, editorial independence, and the role of broadcasters in presenting political content to diverse audiences. For now, there is no public sign of a formal inquiry into The View, but Carr’s remarks indicate that such a possibility may be revisited as part of ongoing regulatory considerations surrounding equal-time rules and the bona fide news exception.