Iconic host Conan O'Brien and former Disney CEO Michael Eisner are the latest high-profile individuals to harshly criticize the decision to suspend Jimmy Kimmel Live!.
The benching of Kimmel's show by ABC and parent company Disney came after his Monday monologue, which referenced the murder of far-right influencer Charlie Kirk. "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," Kimmel said during his Monday night episode.
Following the comments, Federal Communications Commission (FCC) chair Brendan Carr threatened publicly to suspend Kimmel's show. Even though Carr did not follow through with any definitive action, Disney CEO Bob Iger pulled the program off the air, leaving its future in doubt. Free speech advocates were appalled, with some seeing Disney's actions as enabling autocracy. Even stars tied to Disney, like She-Hulk actress Tatiana Maslany, encouraged viewers to cancel their Disney+, ESPN, and Hulu memberships.
Kimmel's fellow late-night hosts, from John Stewart to Seth Meyers, came to his defense, blasting Disney's decision.
Conan O'Brien, who hosted numerous eponymous talk shows since the early 1990s, also had words for Disney.
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Adding to Disney's complications was a public critique from its iconic former CEO, Michael Eisner, who ran the Walt Disney Co. from 1984 to 2005.
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Eisner's insinuation of Disney's motives was bolstered by reports of a proposed merger that involves the Mouse House. Nexstar, a media company that owns 32 ABC affiliate stations is hoping to buy a rival company called Tegna — which owns 13 ABC affiliate stations — but would need FCC approval for the purchase, according to the New York Times.
Neal joined Mashable’s Social Good team in 2024, editing and writing stories about digital culture and its effects on the environment and marginalized communities. He is the former editorial director of The Advocate and Out magazines, has contributed to the Los Angeles Times, Curbed, and Los Angeles magazine, and is a recipient of the Sarah Pettit Memorial Award for LGBTQ Journalist of the Year Award from the National Gay and Lesbian Journalists Association (NLGJA). He lives in Los Angeles with his family.
