Disney is facing a federal investigation over its diversity efforts as part of the White House’s crackdown on diversity, equity and inclusion initiatives.
Since taking office in January, President Trump has issued a series of executive orders aimed at eliminating DEI programmes from the public and private sectors.
He touted his efforts before Congress this month and pledged that the United States “will be woke no longer”.
Now, the White House has turned its sights on Disney, the Hollywood giant that for years has been accused of infusing its films and television shows with progressive politics.
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Bob Carr, chairman of the Federal Communications Commission (FCC), announced that he had asked the agency’s enforcement bureau to open an investigation into Disney and ABC, the broadcast network it owns.
In a letter to Bob Iger, the Disney chief executive, Carr said: “I want to ensure that Disney and ABC have not been violating FCC equal employment opportunity regulations by promoting invidious forms of DEI discrimination.”
Carr said Disney, which had been an “iconic American company”, went “all in on invidious forms of DEI discrimination a few years ago and apparently did so in a manner that infected many aspects of your company’s decisions”.
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He noted diversity efforts at ABC that required at least half of recurring characters on new TV shows to be drawn from “underrepresented groups”.
“As I have made clear, promoting invidious forms of discrimination cannot be squared with any reasonable interpretation of federal law,” Carr added in his letter.
He said that the enforcement bureau would be following up with Disney “with more specifics”.
A Disney spokesperson said in a statement: “We are reviewing the Federal Communications Commission’s letter, and we look forward to engaging with the commission to answer its questions.”
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An investigation into Disney and ABC is likely to trigger alarm in Hollywood as well as allegations that Trump is wielding the presidency to target companies he considers hostile.
In February Carr instructed the FCC’s enforcement bureau to open an investigation into the DEI practices of Comcast and NBCUniversal, two of America’s biggest media companies.
Disney recently began scaling back its diversity efforts, following a trend across corporate America since Trump’s return to power.
Due to its prominent position in American culture, Disney has found itself at the centre of debates over DEI, with high-profile flashpoints including the casting of a black actress to star in 2023’s The Little Mermaid remake.
This month the company’s live-action remake of Snow White flopped at the box office and also drew criticism about its diversity efforts.
