Backlash Against Disney / ABC’s Kimmell Suspension Swift, Severe – New York & LA Unions, Company Executives, Employees, Celebrities, Fans Demand Reinstatement: UPDATED Jimmy Returns Tomorrow
Backlash Against Disney / ABC’s Kimmell Suspension Swift, Severe – New York & LA Unions, Company Executives, Employees, Celebrities, Fans Demand Reinstatement
UPDATED: Disney has decided to reinstate Jimmy Kimmell Live!, and they released the following statement:
“Last Wednesday, we made the decision to suspend production on the show to avoid further inflaming a tense situation at an emotional moment for our country. It is a decision we made because we felt some of the comments were ill-timed and thus insensitive. We have spent the last days having thoughtful conversations with Jimmy, and after those conversations, we reached the decision to return the show on Tuesday.”
However, the company that owns 38 ABC affiliate broadcasting networks, Sinclair Broadcasting (contact form), has decided to leave Jimmy Kimmel Live! off the air, and this choice will affect viewers in about 20 cities.
According to the latest from Reuters:
Nexstar said it stands by its decision to pre-empt Kimmel and that it will continue to pre-empt the show indefinitely. It said it will “monitor the show as it returns to ABC.” It operates ABC stations in Salt Lake City, Utah; Nashville and New Orleans, among other markets.
Nexstar said the show will be available nationwide on multiple Disney-owned streaming products.
Sinclair Broadcasting (SBGI.O), opens new tab said on Monday it does not plan to resume airing Kimmel’s show on its 38 ABC affiliates and will instead air news programming, including on stations in Washington, D.C., Seattle and Portland, Oregon.
Jimmy Kimmell Live!, a mainstay of late night television comedy, was pulled off the air immediately and indefinitely due to comments Mr. Kimmell made that have been characterized as insensitive, about the assassination of Turning Point USA founder and YouTube personality Charlie Kirk. You can see statements from local and national politicians, as well as an op-ed by our editorial board, both about the killing of Charlie Kirk. This story is still developing, but according to reporting in Deadline, it is looking like Disney is going to bring Kimmell back sooner rather than later, as they just announced that the show staff will be paid next week.
The comments were made on the show on Monday, September 15th (5 days after the assassination): “The MAGA Gang (is) 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.”
Jimmy Kimmel Live! current logo. Image Credit – Jimmy Kimmell Live!
After Kimmell’s comments, NextStar (who owns several affiliate ABC network stations) put out the following statement:
“Nexstar’s owned and partner television stations affiliated with the ABC Television Network will preempt Jimmy Kimmel Live! for the foreseeable future beginning with tonight’s show. Nexstar strongly objects to recent comments made by Mr. Kimmel concerning the killing of Charlie Kirk and will replace the show with other programming in its ABC-affiliated markets.”
According to ScreenRant: “The fallout from the decision to pull Kimmel off the air was immediate; the Jimmy Kimmel suspension is already so much worse than Stephen Colbert’s cancellation. On Thursday, hundreds of union writers and actors protested Kimmel’s suspension outside Disney’s Burbank studios (via Deadline). On-air and off-air talent have made their anger clear; mega-successful producer Damon Lindelof, for example, has stated he will not work with Disney unless it reinstates Kimmel…
“Interestingly, some of the hottest anger over the decision to cave to Trump and Carr is reportedly coming from Disney studio executives and corporate management. The feeling is that CEO Bob Iger and Disney Entertainment Co-Chairman Dana Walden caved too easily to MAGA pressure and manufactured outrage once again.
“‘This is not how we thought Bob [Iger] would handle this. Senior people told him this is not what we should be doing,’ said one senior executive. ‘It’s such a betrayal.’ As another anonymous executive told Deadline, ‘The reaction is like ‘Don’t Say Gay’ on steroids.’
“For those who don’t recall, the ‘Don’t Say Gay’ debacle happened in 2022, on previous CEO Bob Chapek’s watch. Florida Republicans passed the controversial Parental Rights in Education Act, which was derisively nicknamed the Don’t Say Gay bill, as it banned discussion of gender orientation and sexual identity in schools and the use of particular words.
“Chapek declined to weigh in on behalf of Disney, and the company’s many LGBTQ+ staffers, including those in Florida’s Disney World, walked out. The outrage at Disney refusing to take a stand against censorship and a stand for the LGBTQ+ community it claims to support caused a firestorm that led to Chapek’s blunder-filled tenure as CEO being a short one.”
Candace Owens, longtime friend of Charlie Kirk, had this to say about the comments and subsequent cancellation: “Whether or not you think it was an insensitive joke, I don’t think that that would have been the justification for now saying that he needs to donate to charity and lose his whole life. This is what happened; he’s taken off air.”
Sinclair, the largest ABC station-owning affiliate, gave the following terms for his reinstatement:
“Sinclair will not lift the suspension of Jimmy Kimmel Live! on our stations until formal discussions are held with ABC regarding the network’s commitment to professionalism and accountability. Sinclair also calls upon Mr. Kimmel to issue a direct apology to the Kirk family. Furthermore, we ask Mr. Kimmel to make a meaningful personal donation to the Kirk Family and Turning Point USA”
This statement was posted on Bluesky, Instagram and Facebook by the New York Film Critics Group, Los Angeles Film Critics Group and National Society of Film Critics:
FILM CRITICS’ GROUPS DENOUNCE NEXSTAR AND DISNEY-ABC DECISIONS TO SUSPEND “JIMMY KIMMEL LIVE!
We, the members of the New York Film Critics Circle, the Los Angeles Film Critics Association and the National Society of Film Critics, strongly condemn the actions taken by Nexstar and Disney-ABC to pull “Jimmy Kimmel Live!” off the air. For decades, our organizations have represented a profession that is enabled by the First Amendment. Kimmel’s long-running talk show promotes free speech, including when it gives film artists the chance to discuss their work. There is only one word to describe the decision by powerful media corporations to silence an individual’s perspective due to fear of repercussions by the government: censorship. This is the antithesis of the values embodied by our work. We demand a reversal of this decision and encourage our colleagues across the industry to do the same
Michael Eisner, former CEO of Disney from 1984-2005 (overseeing the company’s animation division’s resurrection with Roy Disney’s help starting with The Little Mermaid in 1991), wrote on social media:
“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? …The ‘suspending indefinitely’ of Jimmy Kimmel immediately after the Chairman of the FCC’s aggressive yet hollow threatening of the Disney Company is yet another example of out-of-control intimidation,”
“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’”
Banner Image: President Barack Obama talks with Jimmy Kimmel during a Jimmy Kimmel Live! video taping in Los Angeles, Calif. March 12, 2015. Image Credit – Official White House Photo by Pete Souza
This byline indicates that this article was penned by a member/members of the Staten Islander News Organization office team. Our staff writers are the backbone of our newspaper, performing all sorts of important tasks like conducting interviews, investigating leads, besides writing the news stories you see.
Backlash Against Disney / ABC’s Kimmell Suspension Swift, Severe – New York & LA Unions, Company Executives, Employees, Celebrities, Fans Demand Reinstatement: UPDATED Jimmy Returns Tomorrow
Staten Islander News Service Staff Writer 0 American Culture, Business, Civil Rights, Entertainment, Media and Communication, Morality and Ethics, New York City News, Staten Islander Exclusive
Backlash Against Disney / ABC’s Kimmell Suspension Swift, Severe – New York & LA Unions, Company Executives, Employees, Celebrities, Fans Demand Reinstatement
UPDATED: Disney has decided to reinstate Jimmy Kimmell Live!, and they released the following statement:
“Last Wednesday, we made the decision to suspend production on the show to avoid further inflaming a tense situation at an emotional moment for our country. It is a decision we made because we felt some of the comments were ill-timed and thus insensitive. We have spent the last days having thoughtful conversations with Jimmy, and after those conversations, we reached the decision to return the show on Tuesday.”
However, the company that owns 38 ABC affiliate broadcasting networks, Sinclair Broadcasting (contact form), has decided to leave Jimmy Kimmel Live! off the air, and this choice will affect viewers in about 20 cities.
According to the latest from Reuters:
Jimmy Kimmell Live!, a mainstay of late night television comedy, was pulled off the air immediately and indefinitely due to comments Mr. Kimmell made that have been characterized as insensitive, about the assassination of Turning Point USA founder and YouTube personality Charlie Kirk. You can see statements from local and national politicians, as well as an op-ed by our editorial board, both about the killing of Charlie Kirk. This story is still developing, but according to reporting in Deadline, it is looking like Disney is going to bring Kimmell back sooner rather than later, as they just announced that the show staff will be paid next week.
The comments were made on the show on Monday, September 15th (5 days after the assassination): “The MAGA Gang (is) 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.”
Jimmy Kimmel Live! current logo. Image Credit – Jimmy Kimmell Live!
After Kimmell’s comments, NextStar (who owns several affiliate ABC network stations) put out the following statement:
“Nexstar’s owned and partner television stations affiliated with the ABC Television Network will preempt Jimmy Kimmel Live! for the foreseeable future beginning with tonight’s show. Nexstar strongly objects to recent comments made by Mr. Kimmel concerning the killing of Charlie Kirk and will replace the show with other programming in its ABC-affiliated markets.”
According to ScreenRant: “The fallout from the decision to pull Kimmel off the air was immediate; the Jimmy Kimmel suspension is already so much worse than Stephen Colbert’s cancellation. On Thursday, hundreds of union writers and actors protested Kimmel’s suspension outside Disney’s Burbank studios (via Deadline). On-air and off-air talent have made their anger clear; mega-successful producer Damon Lindelof, for example, has stated he will not work with Disney unless it reinstates Kimmel…
“Interestingly, some of the hottest anger over the decision to cave to Trump and Carr is reportedly coming from Disney studio executives and corporate management. The feeling is that CEO Bob Iger and Disney Entertainment Co-Chairman Dana Walden caved too easily to MAGA pressure and manufactured outrage once again.
“‘This is not how we thought Bob [Iger] would handle this. Senior people told him this is not what we should be doing,’ said one senior executive. ‘It’s such a betrayal.’ As another anonymous executive told Deadline, ‘The reaction is like ‘Don’t Say Gay’ on steroids.’
“For those who don’t recall, the ‘Don’t Say Gay’ debacle happened in 2022, on previous CEO Bob Chapek’s watch. Florida Republicans passed the controversial Parental Rights in Education Act, which was derisively nicknamed the Don’t Say Gay bill, as it banned discussion of gender orientation and sexual identity in schools and the use of particular words.
“Chapek declined to weigh in on behalf of Disney, and the company’s many LGBTQ+ staffers, including those in Florida’s Disney World, walked out. The outrage at Disney refusing to take a stand against censorship and a stand for the LGBTQ+ community it claims to support caused a firestorm that led to Chapek’s blunder-filled tenure as CEO being a short one.”
Candace Owens, longtime friend of Charlie Kirk, had this to say about the comments and subsequent cancellation: “Whether or not you think it was an insensitive joke, I don’t think that that would have been the justification for now saying that he needs to donate to charity and lose his whole life. This is what happened; he’s taken off air.”
Sinclair, the largest ABC station-owning affiliate, gave the following terms for his reinstatement:
“Sinclair will not lift the suspension of Jimmy Kimmel Live! on our stations until formal discussions are held with ABC regarding the network’s commitment to professionalism and accountability. Sinclair also calls upon Mr. Kimmel to issue a direct apology to the Kirk family. Furthermore, we ask Mr. Kimmel to make a meaningful personal donation to the Kirk Family and Turning Point USA”
This statement was posted on Bluesky, Instagram and Facebook by the New York Film Critics Group, Los Angeles Film Critics Group and National Society of Film Critics:
FILM CRITICS’ GROUPS DENOUNCE NEXSTAR AND DISNEY-ABC DECISIONS TO SUSPEND “JIMMY KIMMEL LIVE!
We, the members of the New York Film Critics Circle, the Los Angeles Film Critics Association and the National Society of Film Critics, strongly condemn the actions taken by Nexstar and Disney-ABC to pull “Jimmy Kimmel Live!” off the air. For decades, our organizations have represented a profession that is enabled by the First Amendment. Kimmel’s long-running talk show promotes free speech, including when it gives film artists the chance to discuss their work. There is only one word to describe the decision by powerful media corporations to silence an individual’s perspective due to fear of repercussions by the government: censorship. This is the antithesis of the values embodied by our work. We demand a reversal of this decision and encourage our colleagues across the industry to do the same
Michael Eisner, former CEO of Disney from 1984-2005 (overseeing the company’s animation division’s resurrection with Roy Disney’s help starting with The Little Mermaid in 1991), wrote on social media:
“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? …The ‘suspending indefinitely’ of Jimmy Kimmel immediately after the Chairman of the FCC’s aggressive yet hollow threatening of the Disney Company is yet another example of out-of-control intimidation,”
“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’”
Banner Image: President Barack Obama talks with Jimmy Kimmel during a Jimmy Kimmel Live! video taping in Los Angeles, Calif. March 12, 2015. Image Credit – Official White House Photo by Pete Souza
Tags: abc, assassination, bob iger, candace owens, charlie kirk, charlie kirk assassinated, conservative politician, disney, disney plus, freedom of speech, hate speech, jimmy kimmell, jimmy kimmell live, michael eisner, political assassination, political commentator, political views, politics, shooting, sinclair, sinclair media, utah, utah shooting
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