Credit: Video Screenshot, 'Jimmy Kimmel Live!', ABCBy any measure, this has been a very bad week for The Walt Disney Company. Disney faced outcries from both sides of the political spectrum after late-night host Jimmy Kimmel’s comments about the death of Charlie Kirk.
Disney faced pressure from Federal Communications Commission chairman Brendan Carr, who told a podcast that broadcasters should “stop airing Kimmel’s show,” after his remarks about Kirk. Carr made a not-so-veiled threat to broadcasters, saying, “We can do this the easy way or the hard way.”
Moments after Carr made his remarks, Nexstar, the largest station group owner in the country, announced that it was pulling Kimmel from its ABC-affiliated networks. According to Rolling Stone, executives at Disney, ABC, and its affiliated stations gathered for a meeting after Nexstar’s decision, where many of the executives in attendance did not believe that Kimmel had said anything wrong.
Disney caved to the pressure from Nexstar and Sinclair Broadcasting, the largest owner of ABC affiliates in the country, to pull Kimmel from the air. Sinclair has said that it will not return Kimmel to its stations until “formal discussions are held with ABC regarding the network’s commitment to professionalism and accountability,” and until Kimmel makes a direct apology to the Kirk Family, and for the network makes a significant donation to the family and Turning Point U.S.A.
On the opposite end of the spectrum, Disney is facing massive protests and streaming service and vacation cancellations after Kimmel’s suspension. Rumors began to spread that Disney lost billions over its decision to shelve Kimmel; however, that is tied to its stock decline on Friday, which is not necessarily a direct result of the Kimmel situation.
Even former Disney CEO Michael Eisner openly criticized the company and questioned its current leadership. But that begs the question: Where is Bob Iger in all this?
Iger has remained suspiciously silent as his company took a beating this week. The CEO who famously said that he was going to keep Disney “out of politics” has found himself at the center of a political firestorm.
It is highly unlikely that the decision to sideline Kimmel was made without Iger’s say-so and blessing. And it also seems unlikely that Iger is not somehow involved in the ongoing negotiations for Kimmel’s return.
So, why hasn’t he said anything publicly about this situation? In the past, Disney executives have said that they’d be “happy to work with” the Trump Administration, but how far can the administration push Disney before it has had enough?
Disney and Iger have already shown they’re willing to move their “line in the sand,” and with a billion-dollar deal with the NFL at stake, it’s no surprise that Iger and Disney have remained suspiciously silent as everyone takes shots at the company.
All eyes will be on Iger this week as he tries to navigate Disney’s way out of the Kimmel situation, but will it be enough to satisfy everyone? Iger should remember what comedian Ricky Gervais said: “If you try to please everyone, you’ll please no one.”
What do you think of Bob Iger’s silence in the wake of Jimmy Kimmel’s suspension? Let us know in the comments.