Disney is facing mounting boycott threats after its ABC network decided to indefinitely suspend “Jimmy Kimmel Live!” over comments the host, comedian Jimmy Kimmel, made about conservative activist Charlie Kirk’s recent assassination. Many claim ABC’s move is a violation of free speech, and is a disturbing precedent to censure commentary, especially from comedians, if some people find it upsetting.
“Just canceled my Disney+ account!” said one X user, who shared a screenshot of his account page that said the reason for ending his subscription was “for canceling Jimmy Kimmel’s show!” “Hit them where it hurts: the $$$” said another X user. Several threads on Reddit call for similar action.
ABC announced Wednesday that “Jimmy Kimmel Live! will be pre-empted indefinitely” following remarks Kimmel made during his Monday night monologue. During the show, Kimmel criticized what he called the “MAGA gang” for “desperately trying to characterize this kid who murdered Charlie Kirk as anything other than one of them and doing everything they can to score political points from it.” You can watch a clip of the segment below:
The suspension followed decisions by major ABC affiliate owners to drop Kimmel’s show. Nexstar Media Group, which owns 32 ABC affiliate stations and is pursuing a $6.2 billion merger with Tegna requiring FCC approval, announced it would preempt the show “for the foreseeable future.” Sinclair Broadcasting, the nation’s largest ABC affiliate group, also removed the show and demanded Kimmel apologize to Kirk’s family and make a “substantial personal donation” to them and Turning Point USA. Industry analysts suggest financial incentives may have influenced these decisions, with both Nexstar and Sinclair having business interests requiring FCC approval.
