For years, “The View” has operated as the unofficial morning show of the Democratic National Committee. Liberal politicians show up, get softball questions, receive glowing praise from the hosts, and walk away with millions of dollars worth of free media exposure.
Republicans? They get invited occasionally — so the hosts can yell at them for eight minutes before cutting to commercial.
Everyone knew the game. Everyone accepted it. The show was technically classified as “entertainment,” not news, so the equal time rules that govern political broadcasts didn’t apply. ABC got to run what amounted to daily campaign commercials for Democrats, and there was nothing anyone could do about it.
Until now.
The FCC Comes Knocking
Last month, FCC Chairman Brendan Carr announced the commission would start enforcing the “statutory equal opportunities requirement” for daytime and late-night talk shows. The rule is simple: if you give airtime to a political candidate, you have to offer comparable airtime to their opponents.
It’s been on the books for decades. It just hasn’t been enforced against shows like “The View” because — well, because nobody in Washington wanted to pick that fight.
Carr wants to pick that fight.
On Monday, Texas Democratic Senate candidate James Talarico appeared on “The View.” He got nearly ten minutes of airtime, complete with Whoopi Goldberg gushing about how great he and his primary opponent are for Texas.
Disney, ABC’s parent company, didn’t file equal-time paperwork with the FCC.
Now there’s an investigation. And the rules that “The View” has been ignoring for years might finally have teeth.
The “Bona Fide News” Defense
Here’s where it gets interesting. The reason Disney didn’t file paperwork is apparently because they consider “The View” a “bona fide news program” — which would exempt it from equal time requirements.
Let that sink in. “The View.” A bona fide news program.
The show where Joy Behar compares Republicans to Nazis every other Tuesday. The show where Sunny Hostin lectures America about systemic racism between commercial breaks. The show where Whoopi Goldberg once said the Holocaust “wasn’t about race.”
That show. A news program. Exempt from the rules that apply to actual campaign coverage.
If you’re wondering why Americans don’t trust media institutions anymore, this is exhibit A. The networks have been hiding behind “news” exemptions to run partisan programming for so long that they’ve convinced themselves their propaganda actually counts as journalism.
The FCC is apparently no longer buying it.
The Numbers Don’t Lie
NewsBusters crunched the data, and the results are exactly what you’d expect.
Talarico got 9 minutes and 47 seconds in one segment. His primary rival, Rep. Jasmine Crockett, got over 17 minutes across three appearances in January. Both Democrats, both getting extensive free airtime.
Republican Senator John Cornyn — you know, the actual incumbent who holds the seat they’re trying to win? Nothing.
But it’s not just this race. Through mid-2025, “The View” hosted 128 liberal guests for political discussions. Conservatives? Two.
One hundred twenty-eight to two.
That’s not a talk show with a slight liberal lean. That’s a Super PAC with a studio audience.
“Fake News Is Not Getting a Free Pass Anymore”
An FCC source told Fox News Digital that “fake news is not getting a free pass anymore.” Chairman Carr was even more direct: “On my watch, we’re going to enforce this regulation.”
This is what institutional accountability looks like. Not angry tweets. Not Congressional hearings that go nowhere. Actual enforcement of actual rules that have been on the books for generations but conveniently ignored when they might inconvenience the left.
The broadcast spectrum is a public resource. Networks get to use it in exchange for following certain rules — including the rule that says you can’t turn your programming into a one-sided campaign operation.
“The View” has been violating the spirit of that rule for years. Now they might face consequences for violating the letter of it too.
The “Weaponization” Cry
Right on cue, the lone Democrat on the FCC is crying foul.
Commissioner Anna Gomez called the investigation an “intimidation tactic” designed to “chill protected speech.” She claimed the “real purpose is to weaponize the FCC’s regulatory authority to intimidate perceived critics of this Administration.”
Translation: enforcing rules that Democrats have been ignoring is “weaponization.” Holding liberal media accountable is “intimidation.” Actually doing the job the FCC is supposed to do is an attack on free speech.
This is the same logic Democrats use for everything. When they’re in power, regulations are essential tools of good governance. When Republicans enforce the same regulations, it’s authoritarian overreach.
The equal time rule isn’t new. It wasn’t invented by Trump. It’s been federal law since 1927. The only thing that’s new is that someone is finally willing to apply it to shows that have been operating as Democratic campaign vehicles.
That’s not weaponization. That’s equality.
What Happens Next
If the FCC determines that “The View” violated equal time rules, ABC will have to offer comparable airtime to Talarico’s opponents — including John Cornyn. And if they refuse to offer that airtime, they could face fines or other penalties.
More importantly, the precedent will be set. Every talk show that wants to host political candidates will have to think twice about whether they’re willing to offer the same platform to the other side.
Imagine “The View” having to give ten minutes of friendly airtime to a Republican Senate candidate. Imagine Whoopi Goldberg having to sit there and smile while a conservative makes their case without interruption.
The heads exploding in that studio would be visible from space.
The Bigger Picture
For decades, conservatives have complained about media bias. For decades, liberals have dismissed those complaints as paranoid whining. “Just start your own network,” they said. “The market will sort it out.”
But broadcast television isn’t a free market. It’s a regulated industry using public airwaves. There are rules. And when those rules are selectively enforced to benefit one political party, that’s not bias — it’s corruption.
The FCC investigation into “The View” is a small step toward fixing that. It’s not censorship. It’s not silencing anyone. It’s simply saying: if you want to give free airtime to Democrats, you have to give free airtime to Republicans too.
That’s fairness. That’s what the rule was designed to ensure. And the fact that Democrats are screaming about it tells you everything you need to know about how much they’ve benefited from the unfairness.
The Bottom Line
“The View” has been running as an unofficial Democratic campaign operation for years. One hundred twenty-eight liberal guests to two conservatives. Endless softball interviews with Democratic politicians. Whoopi Goldberg literally telling candidates “Texas will be better” for having them.
Now the bill is coming due. The FCC is investigating. The equal time rules are being enforced. And ABC is going to have to decide whether “The View” is a news program — with all the fairness requirements that entails — or an entertainment show that has to follow the same rules as everyone else.
Either way, the free ride is over.
And somewhere in a Disney executive suite, someone is realizing that maybe — just maybe — they should have filed that paperwork.