FCC Launches Probe into Alleged Bias on ‘The View’: What It Means for Free Speech in Media

The Federal Communications Commission (FCC), under the leadership of Donald Trump’s appointee, may be setting its sights on the popular talk show “The View” in a renewed effort to enforce equal time regulations for political candidates during elections.

The long-running program, known for its critical stance on Trump, reportedly caught the attention of FCC Chairman Brendan Carr after Texas Senate candidate James Talarico made an appearance on Monday. Talarico, a Democrat who is challenging Congresswoman Jasmine Crockett in the primaries, seems to have triggered Carr’s focus on the equal time requirement.

In a move initiated in January, the FCC has stipulated that both daytime and late-night TV talk shows featuring political candidates must adhere to ‘equal time’ rules. These rules mandate that airtime must be provided to the opposing candidates, dismissing a 2006 ruling that implied such shows were exempt from this requirement.

The recent episode featuring Talarico has prompted Carr’s FCC to launch an investigation into “The View,” a show known for its liberal leanings, according to a report from Fox News Digital.

This decision, spurred by the Talarico segment, has led Carr’s FCC to begin a probe into the left-leaning show, Fox News Digital reported.   

The length of Talarico’s segment – nine minutes – versus the 17 minutes Crockett received when she appeared in January may have triggered questions of fairness. Crockett’s appearance occurred before the FCC ruling. 

Disney, the parent company of ABC which has aired The View since 1997, did not make an equal-time filing for Talarico’s interview which suggests they are relying on the exemption. 

The Daily Mail has reached out to the FCC for comment. 

Donald Trump’s Federal Communications Commission may be taking on The View amid a new crackdown demanding equal time for candidates

The show – which has long taken shots at Trump and is known as a liberal gabfest – ran afoul of FCC Chairman Brendan Carr (pictured)

Trump has long sought to do something about left-wing bias in the news media, which he has dubbed ‘Fake News.’ 

On the day of the decision, the president posted a link to a news story on the issue at the time that said the FCC was taking aim at ‘The View’ and ABC late-night talk show ‘Jimmy Kimmel Live’ over equal time rules. 

Until now, talk shows have qualified for the equal opportunities exemption as genuine news interviews, ever since the FCC’s Media Bureau granted an exemption to the interview portion of Jay Leno’s ‘Tonight Show’ in 2006. 

Networks have relied on the ruling as a precedent for recent interviews with political candidates.

The FCC’s Media Bureau said in January, however, that networks should not rely on that 2006 decision, adding that the agency ‘has not been presented with any evidence that the interview portion of any late night or daytime television talk show program on air presently would qualify’ for an exemption.

The agency added that any program or station seeking assurances that the equal time requirements do not apply should ‘promptly file a petition for a declaratory ruling.’

Democratic FCC Commissioner Anna Gomez said the guidance was at odds with the commission’s longstanding view that late-night programs and daytime news shows are entitled to editorial discretion based on newsworthiness, not political favoritism. 

She said the announcement was ‘an escalation in this FCC’s ongoing campaign to censor and control speech … The First Amendment does not yield to government intimidation. Broadcasters should not feel pressured to water down, sanitize, or avoid critical coverage out of fear of regulatory retaliation.’

The probe may have been spurred by an interview with Texas Senate candidate James Talarico

Donald Trump (pictured with Carr in 2024) has long sought to do something about left-wing bias in the news media, whom he has dubbed ‘Fake News’

Trump has repeatedly pushed Carr to take action against US broadcasters, citing unfair news coverage.

In September, Carr said the FCC should consider reviewing whether ‘The View’ runs afoul of equal time commission rules when covering rival political candidates. 

Carr faced bipartisan criticism after pressuring broadcasters to take Kimmel’s show off the air in September.

The rules do not apply to so-called bona fide news programs and are typically in effect 90 days before a political candidate’s nomination via convention or caucus.

‘For years, legacy TV networks assumed that their late night and daytime talk shows qualify as ‘bona fide news’ programs – even when motivated by purely partisan political purposes,’ Carr said. 

‘Today, the FCC reminded them of their obligation to provide all candidates with equal opportunities.’

Carr has been busy attempting to rid the airwaves of what he sees as a liberal bias against Trump. 

In July, the FCC approved the $8.4billion merger between CBS parent Paramount Global and Skydance Media after Skydance agreed to ensure CBS’s news and entertainment programs were free of bias, and hire an ombudsman to review complaints and end diversity programs.

Carr in January 2025 reinstated a complaint against Comcast-owned NBC for letting then Vice President Kamala Harris appear on “Saturday Night Live” just before the November 2024 election.