The Federal Communications Commission is preparing to investigate The Walt Disney Company’s Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion (DEI) initiatives.
In an interview with Punchbowl News (below), FCC chairman Brendan Carr said he was putting the “finishing touches” on a letter to Disney and ABC regarding their DEI policies.
Punchbowl asked Carr, “What specific DEI initiatives are you concerned about at Disney?” Carr didn’t highlight any specific initiatives but said he would lay everything out in his letter. He did say his concerns are similar to those raised about Comcast and Verizon, which the FCC is also investigating, regarding “whether they’re engaged in any sort of this invidious form of DEI discrimination that could run afoul of our EEO rules or potentially our public interest standard.”
Carr also said, “And so what I’ve suggested to regulated companies, not just ones that are looking to do deals before the FCC but all businesses regulated by the FCC, is I suggest that they get busy ending their promotion of DEI.”
Carr already contacted Disney CEO Bob Iger earlier this year with concerns about ABC’s negotiations with local broadcast TV stations. The FCC also reinstated a complaint against ABC News regarding their fact-checking during the September 2024 presidential debate (via The Guardian).
Earlier this year, Disney did scale back their DEI programs, including ending the Reimagine Tomorrow initiative, so they could “focus more closely on business outcomes.” This month, however, Disney shareholders almost unanimously voted for the company to continue participating in the Human Rights Campaign’s Corporate Equality Index, a “national benchmarking tool on corporate policies, practices, and benefits pertinent to lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender, and queer employees” (via HRC). The Walt Disney Company scored a perfect 100 on the 2025 index in 2025, marking them as a leader in LGBTQ+ workplace inclusion.
For the latest Disney Parks news and info, follow WDW News Today on Twitter, Facebook, and Instagram.