NEW YORK, NY – A recent on-air outburst by Joy Behar on ABC’s “The View” has escalated into a federal issue, with FCC Commissioner Brendan Carr publicly accusing the popular daytime talk show of unchecked partisan bias and warning of potential “consequences.” The incident, which saw Behar launch a highly personal attack on President Donald Trump, has triggered a significant backlash and fueled calls for federal oversight of alleged political favoritism in mainstream media.

The controversy centers on Behar’s assertion that Donald Trump is “jealous” of former President Barack Obama’s looks and marriage, a comment made during a segment discussing Trump’s widely disputed claim that Obama was attempting to lead a coup against the U.S. government. Behar, 82, stated on the program, “The thing about him is he’s so jealous of Obama, because Obama is everything that he is not: Trim, smart, handsome, happily married, and can sing Al Green’s song ‘Let’s Stay Together’ better than Al Green. And Trump cannot stand it. It’s driving him crazy.”

This highly personal and disparaging commentary quickly reverberated beyond typical cable news cycles. The White House itself issued an exclusive statement to Entertainment Weekly, suggesting the “potential for The View to be ‘pulled off the air’” and labeling Behar an “irrelevant loser.” The following morning, FCC Commissioner Brendan Carr appeared on Fox News’s “America’s Newsroom” to further discuss the escalating issue, signaling that the FCC is closely monitoring the situation.

“It’s entirely possible that there’s issues over there,” Carr speculated, broadening his critique to the wider landscape of legacy media. “Stepping back, this broader dynamic, once President Trump has exposed these media gatekeepers and smashed this facade, there’s a lot of consequences. I think the consequences of that aren’t quite finished.”

Carr alluded to repeated “legal notes” from co-host Sunny Hostin during “The View”‘s extensive coverage of Trump’s hush-money trial, which culminated in his conviction on 34 counts in May 2024. He emphasized the need for “a course-correction” in how media outlets cover presidential administrations, stating, “It’s time for America’s legacy broadcasters to return to promoting the public interest.”

The FCC chair further speculated that entities like Skydance, currently in a high-profile merger discussion with Paramount, would be incentivized to “root out bias” and “return to unbiased, trustworthy journalism” in mainstream media. Carr’s comments drew a direct parallel to the recent news of Paramount subsidiary CBS’s announcement that the Trump-critical “Late Night With Stephen Colbert” would conclude in May 2026. This move has led to widespread speculation, including from Senator Elizabeth Warren, that the cancellation was intended to improve the FCC’s receptiveness to approving the Skydance-Paramount merger, highlighting concerns about corporate influence in media.

“We’re not where we need to go. I think this legacy media really needs to reorient, or they’re going to continue to run into issues like [Stephen] Colbert, where it just doesn’t make economic sense to run a partisan circus,” Carr concluded, reinforcing his stance against what he perceives as unchecked partisan media bias.

Entertainment Weekly has reportedly reached out to representatives for “The View,” Commissioner Carr, and the White House for further comment on these developments.

The White House’s pointed criticism was not confined to “The View.” On the same morning, a White House spokesperson, Taylor Rogers, emailed EW to also criticize Paramount+ animated comedy “South Park” for its season 27 premiere, which depicted Trump in a compromising scenario with Satan. Rogers accused “the left’s hypocrisy” of having “no end,” noting that those who previously labeled “South Park” as “offensive” were now praising the show. She added, “just like the creators of South Park, the left has no authentic or original content” to air, broadening the administration’s critique of perceived liberal media bias.

“The View” frequently features robust political discussions at its “Hot Topics” table. While Joy Behar, Sunny Hostin, and Whoopi Goldberg often articulate liberal-leaning perspectives, the show also includes Republican co-hosts Ana Navarro and Alyssa Farah Griffin. Griffin, a former White House communications staffer under Trump, resigned from his first presidential administration and has since become an outspoken critic of the former president. The show’s format, designed for diverse viewpoints, often becomes a flashpoint for national political disagreements, raising ongoing questions about its role in political discourse and daytime television‘s responsibility in shaping public opinion.

This latest incident involving Joy Behar and the subsequent FCC response underscores mounting pressure on broadcasting networks to address allegations of bias. As public trust in traditional news outlets continues to erode amidst a highly polarized political landscape, calls for greater accountability and regulatory scrutiny of media ethics and journalistic standards are likely to intensify. The controversy surrounding “The View” serves as a stark reminder of the challenges facing the entertainment and news industries as they navigate the volatile intersection of politics, public perception, and regulatory oversight. The outcome of this federal scrutiny could potentially set new precedents for how political commentary is delivered and perceived on live television moving forward.