Longtime Disney CEO Bob Iger ― an executive once praised by the left as a reliable Democratic donor who stood up to President Donald Trump on climate and opposed Florida’s “Don’t Say Gay” law ― was reportedly the one to make the call on ABC “indefinitely” pulling Jimmy Kimmel’s late-night show from the air on Wednesday.
Trump boisterously celebrated the decision, which came after FCC chairman Brendan Carr threatened to take action against ABC, a subsidiary of Disney, following Kimmel’s on-air comments criticizing conservatives’ reaction to Charlie Kirk’s killing. Iger and top Disney executive Dana Walden reportedly made the call to take Kimmel off the air after Nexstar Media, which owns many ABC affiliates, said it planned to preempt Kimmel’s show.
A spokesperson for Disney didn’t immediately respond when asked to comment on the decision and whether it had anything to do with Iger’s relationship with Trump, which has become increasingly friendly since the president secured a return to the White House.
The first big indication that Iger would play ball with Trump came in December, when Disney reached a settlement with the president over his defamation lawsuit targeting star ABC anchor George Stephanopoulos for his comments about Trump’s sexual abuse conviction. As part of the agreement, Disney agreed to donate $15 million to Trump’s future presidential foundation and museum, and both the network and Stephanopoulos published an apology saying they “regret” the broadcasted remarks.
