Ex-Disney CEO Michael Eisner Joins Support for Jimmy Kimmel – ryan

Jimmy Kimmel.
Photo: ZZHollywood To You/Star Max/GC Images

On September 17, ABC announced that it would be pulling new episodes of Jimmy Kimmel Live! “indefinitely” after remarks about Charlie Kirk’s alleged assassin sparked right-wing rage and comments from FCC chair Brendan Carr. Kimmel is getting canceled for the setup to a joke, not even the punch line. In the monologue from September 15, Kimmel said, “We hit some new lows over the weekend with the MAGA gang 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.”

Carr told YouTuber Benny Johnson that he was considering pulling ABC’s affiliate licenses because Kimmel appeared to be playing “into the narrative” that suspected shooter Tyler Robinson was “somehow a MAGA or Republican-motivated person,” adding, “What people don’t understand is that the broadcasters … have a license granted by us at the FCC, and that comes with it an obligation to operate in the public interest. When we see stuff like this, look, we can do this the easy way or the hard way.” ABC and media company Nexstar apparently decided to take the easy way: Nexstar said it would preempt Jimmy Kimmel Live! on its affiliate stations, and shortly thereafter, ABC said it would pull new episodes of the show.

President Trump did a victory lap on Truth Social. “Great News for America: The ratings challenged Jimmy Kimmel Show is CANCELLED. Congratulations to ABC for finally having the courage to do what had to be done. Kimmel has ZERO talent, and worse ratings than even Colbert, if that’s possible,” he wrote. “That leaves Jimmy and Seth, two total losers, on Fake News NBC. Their ratings are also horrible. Do it NBC!!!”

On the pro-Kimmel side, Hollywood unions WGA and SAG-AFTRA (both of which Kimmel is a member of) issued statements criticizing the decision to pull his show, as did the union that represents his show’s band. California senator Adam Schiff and California governor Gavin Newsom were among the politicians who decried Carr’s remarks and ABC’s decision to take Kimmel off the air, while multiple actors, writer, and comedians — including Conan O’Brien, David Letterman, Pedro Pascal, Damon Lindelof, and Tim Heidecker — have also come to Kimmel’s defense. Even former CEO of Disney, Michael Eisner, put forward a statement calling out his old company’s actions.

Emmy-winning Andor writer Dan Gilroy penned an op-ed for Deadline in support of Kimmel while also saving some empathy for his Disney bosses. “Many people saw parallels between Andor and the real world. I see them as well, particularly in the events of the last week,” he wrote. Like Vulture’s Josef Adalian, Gilroy believes Disney’s suspension of Kimmel was a way to buy time and ultimately keep the show on the air. “Disney now stands at a crossroads: terminate Kimmel’s contract and become pavement for the road to a brave new Trumpian world; or stand for the First Amendment and take the onslaught,” he wrote. “There’s not much at stake, just free speech, the oxygen that sustains life in this town.”

Notoriously apolitical Tonight Show host Jay Leno has spoken out on behalf of Jimmy Kimmel. The Hollywood Reporter got his remarks at Chris Wallace’s Hollywood Walk of Fame ceremony. “I’m on Jimmy Kimmel’s side on that one,” he said. “These kinds of things happen all the time. You don’t get canceled (for) saying popular things. Usually it’s the truth that winds up getting canceled, so we’ll see what happens.” He added “It’s a comedian talking; if you don’t like it, don’t watch it.”

This is counter to what Leno has been saying lately, namely, that lat night has gotten too political. “Well, why shoot for just half an audience all the time? You know, why not try to get the whole?” he said in July. “I mean, I like to bring people into the big picture. I don’t understand why you would alienate one particular group, you know, or just don’t do it at all. I’m not saying you have to throw your support or whatever, but just do what’s funny.”

The former CEO of the Walt Disney Company came for Bob Iger in a tweet September 19. “Where has all the leadership gone?  If not for university presidents, law firm managing partners, and corporate chief executives standing up against bullies, who then will step up for the first amendment?” he wrote. Eisner — who acquired ABC for Disney during his tenure — called FCC Chair Brendan Carr’s threats against the network “aggressive yet hollow,” and the latest in a series of intimidation tactics by this administration. “Maybe the Constitution should have said, ‘Congress shall make no law abridging the freedom of speech, or of the press, except in one’s political or financial self-interest,’” he wrote. “By-the-way, for the record, this ex-CEO finds Jimmy Kimmel very talented and funny.”

Through his Team Coco socials, O’Brien put out a statement in support of Kimmel, saying that the FCC and Trump’s actions “should disturb everyone on the Right, Left, and Center. It’s wrong and anyone with a conscience knows it’s wrong.”

Kimmel’s late-night peers reacted to the news of his suspension on their respective shows, each finding ways to crack jokes about free speech and Donald Trump’s tolerance for criticism. More than one of them did so through song: “Oh, Donald / We pledge to thee our word from the hottest country in the world,” Stewart sang, while Colbert channeled Lumière in a parody of “Be Our Guest” featuring lyrics like “Don’t insult our great dictator or he’ll hit you with this turd.” Watch each of their segments in full here.

Maslany, the lead of Disney+’s She-Hulk, shared a call on her Instagram Story for people to cancel their Disney+ subscriptions.

The Transparent star provided photo evidence that she has cut ties by posting a screenshot confirming that she has canceled her Disney+ subscription and tagging the company in the caption.

The Fonz shared a selfie with Kimmel and praised his work and character, tweeting that the late-night host’s insights are “important to keep showing us who we are.”

Former late-night host Letterman explained that he feared what precedent this suspension might set for the future. “I feel bad about this because we see where this is all going, correct?” he shared. “It’s managed media. And it’s no good. It’s silly. It’s ridiculous. And you can’t go around firing somebody because you’re fearful or trying to suck up to an authoritarian criminal administration in the Oval Office. That’s just not how this works.”

Pascal shared a photo with him and Kimmel, writing in the caption, “Standing with you @jimmykimmellive Defend #FreeSpeech Defend #DEMOCRACY” He also added statements from the WGA, SAG-AFTRA, a post from writer Marina Rust that says “None of this is normal,” some statistics about political violence, and a message from the Human Rights Campaign stating “This is what fascism looks like” on Instagram Stories.

The creator of Lost promised to stop working with Disney until Kimmel’s show comes back. “I was shocked, saddened and infuriated by yesterday’s suspension and look forward to it being lifted soon. If it isn’t, I can’t in good conscience work for the company that imposed it,” Lindelof wrote on Instagram on September 18.

On the red carpet, the comedian expressed his worries about censorship. “It’s happening very quickly and we are seeing the results of electing a fascist and living, what it feels like, under a fascist regime… It’s absolutely state sponsored censorship,” he shared with THR.

The former president criticized the current administration in a new post on X: “After years of complaining about cancel culture, the current administration has taken it to a new and dangerous level by routinely threatening regulatory action against media companies unless they muzzle or fire reporters and commentators it doesn’t like.”

The writers union criticized both the government and the network in its statement. “The right to speak our minds and to disagree with each other — to disturb, even — is at the very heart of what it means to be a free people. It is not to be denied. Not by violence, not by the abuse of governmental power, nor by acts of corporate cowardice,” the statement from the WGA reads. “Shame on those in government who forget this founding truth. As for our employers, our words have made you rich. Silencing us impoverishes the whole world. The WGA stands with Jimmy Kimmel and his writers.”

The actors union condemned the suspension of Kimmel’s show. “Our society depends on freedom of expression,” SAG-AFTRA said in a statement. “Suppression of free speech and retaliation for speaking out on significant issues of public concern run counter to the fundamental rights we all rely on. Democracy thrives when diverse points of view are expressed. The decision to suspend airing Jimmy Kimmel Live! is the type of suppression and retaliation that endangers everyone’s freedoms. SAG-AFTRA stands with all media artists and defends their right to express their diverse points of view, and everyone’s right to hear them.”

“This is not complicated,” the AFM, which represents Kimmel’s band, wrote in a statement. “Trump’s FCC identified speech it did not like and threatened ABC with extreme reprisals. This is state censorship.”

Stiller was concise, reposting a report from The Wall Street Journal’s Joe Flint and captioning it, “This isn’t right.”

“This is government censorship,” Maron said in an Instagram video captioned with a call for people to organize and peacefully push back. “If they can come for Kimmel, they can come for anybody,” he said.

Birbiglia posted a call to action addressed to “all comedians,” arguing that if they don’t speak out about the “insanity” of the decision to pull Kimmel’s show, they shouldn’t bother “spouting off about free speech anymore.”

Sykes, who was scheduled to guest on Jimmy Kimmel Live! the night it was pulled, said in an Instagram video explaining that her friend’s show had been pulled “because of complaints from the Trump administration.” Sykes reflected that the president managed to “end freedom of speech within his first year” and ended her video by saying, “For those of you who pray, now’s the time to do it. Love you, Jimmy.”

O’Donnell declared that “america is no more,” sharing a photo of Kimmel on Instagram alongside a caption that criticized a “fascist administration and corrupt corporate executives” for “bowing” to Trump.

The Hacks star said she was “horrified” at the news that Kimmel’s show will be pulled, arguing in an Instagram post that his comments constitute “FREE speech, not hate speech.”

Hayes focused primarily on Carr’s remarks, laying blame for Kimmel’s enforced hiatus at “state actors.” He tweeted, “This is the most straightforward attack on free speech from state actors I’ve ever seen in my life and it’s not even close.”

Newsom seemed to link Kimmel going off the air to The Late Show With Stephen Colbert’s cancellation, as well as with the firing of MSNBC commentator Matthew Dowd and Trump buddies taking control of TikTok. “Buying and controlling media platforms. Firing commentators. Canceling shows. These aren’t coincidences,” he wrote. “It’s coordinated. And it’s dangerous. The @GOP does not believe in free speech. They are censoring you in real time.”

The California senator also compared what’s happening to Kimmel with what’s already happened to Colbert. He mentioned Trump’s lawsuits against the New York Times, The Wall Street Journal, and 60 Minutes. “This administration is responsible for the most blatant attacks on the free press in American history,” Schiff wrote. “What will be left of the First Amendment when he’s done?”

Illinois governor J.B. Pritzker called Kimmel’s cancellation “an attack off free speech” on Bluesky. He urged elected officials to speak up in defense of the First Amendment: “A free and democratic society cannot silence comedians because the President doesn’t like what they say. This is an attack on free speech and cannot be allowed to stand.”

Oates came to Kimmel’s defense despite not being a late-night enjoyer. “As one who avoids nearly all late-night comics & has never seen Jimmy Kimmell (sic) or his rivals still it seems sad that anyone is so abruptly fired for anything he says however awkward or inappropriate,” she wrote. “Much of humor is edgy, surreal, exaggerated, & can’t be fact-checked. if a joke is in poor taste or falls flat the audience’s silence is punishment enough for the comic.”

Speaking from experience, Griffin said it was imperative Kimmel have support in this moment. “Please, take it from me, it is very important to have Jimmy Kimmel‘s back right now,” she wrote on Bluesky. “Be vocal. Be an ideological consumer. Money is all their crowd cares about.”