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Credit: Inside the MagicIt’s been a tough past couple of weeks for Disney CEO Bob Iger. For years, the once-beloved CEO has been battling with multiple threats from the Trump administration, and those threats reached a new high when, on September 15, comedian Jimmy Kimmel made comments about Donald Trump and the assassination of Charlie Kirk. Kimmel commented on the young man who killed Mr. Kirk and speculated on his political affiliation before any confirmation had been made.
Outrage against Mr. Kimmel was swift, with Brendan Carr, the head of the Federal Communications Commission, sending a thinly veiled threat to Disney, insinuating that the company would be investigated if it did not remove Jimmy Kimmel Live! from the air.
Related: Donald Trump Tells ABC Reporter, He’ll “Probably Go After You”
On September 17, Disney and ABC announced they would immediately be pulling the show from the air “indefinitely”. The decision came not long after ABC’s two largest affiliate broadcasters, NexStar Media and Sinclair Broadcasting, said they would not be airing Jimmy Kimmel Live! after the comments Mr. Kimmel made.
The suspension of Jimmy Kimmel Live! was met with intense backlash, with criticism coming from as high up as former President Barack Obama. Angry fans protested outside the studio lot, and even former Disney and Marvel stars encouraged their social media followers to cancel their Disney+ subscriptions and Disney vacations.
Less than one week after the show’s suspension, Disney relented, and Jimmy Kimmel Live! returned to the airwaves.
Related: After Jimmy Kimmel Cancellation, Trump Administration Threatens ‘The View’
However, according to a new report, it wasn’t the criticism from a former President, well-known Disney stars, or even angry fans that finally led Bob Iger to back down on the suspension. It was a critique from former Disney CEO Michael Eisner.
On September 19, Eisner sent out a tweet, asking, “Where has all the leadership gone?” Eisner’s relationship with Iger has reportedly been frosty since Iger took Eisner’s job back in 2005, but it was that tweet that affected him the most.
According to a report from Puck:
An old Disney hand told me that Iger “loathes Eisner, who tortured and humiliated him in the C.E.O. succession process,” but that doesn’t mean Iger can just shake it off when Eisner calls him out. Eisner was a dominant figure associated with the resuscitation of Disney, which had been adrift before Eisner and his team took over in 1984. Eventually, Eisner’s star faded, but he still has stature, I would guess particularly since Iger had to operate in his shadow for so long.
Related: While Disney Takes a Beating From Both Sides, CEO Bob Iger Is Conspicuously Absent
Insiders also claim that Iger is someone “whose skin is known to be thin,” and he was already struggling with the criticisms aimed his way before Eisner sent out the tweet. They also claimed that, while during his tenure, Eisner typically remained mum on political issues, he would have spoken up in defense of Jimmy Kimmel and his right to free speech.
Two sources who have worked closely with Eisner said they believe he would have made a quick decision to threaten Sinclair and Nexstar, the two station groups that pledged to preempt Jimmy Kimmel Live! over the host’s edgy comment about the “MAGA gang’s” response to the Charlie Kirk assassination, with hellfire if they persisted in refusing to carry the show. “Michael doesn’t give a f**k what anybody else thinks if he thinks he’s doing the right thing,” a former Disney insider told me. (“And sometimes it would bite him in the ass,” he added.)
Related: Jimmy Kimmel Given List of Demands In Order to Get Back On Air
While both Sinclair and NexStar said they would not air Jimmy Kimmel Live! after it returned to the air, on September 26, the company came to an agreement with Disney, and the show will return to its affiliate stations.
However, if Bob Iger was hoping the entire situation would fade to the background, his wish was not granted.
Donald Trump was enraged when he learned the show would be returning to ABC, and said that it was time for him to “test” the network. Furthermore, a group of Disney shareholders is demanding documentation from Disney’s board of directors on its decision to suspend the show. The shareholders believe Kimmel’s suspension hurt the company and was done in favor of “improper political” considerations.
It should be noted that, while Kimmel was off the air, Disney’s stock dropped more than 2% (about $4.4 billion), and the Disney+ site crashed as angry subscribers cancelled their subscriptions.
What do you think of Michael Eisner publicly calling out Bob Iger and questioning his leadership abilities? How do you think Mr. Iger should handle the fallout from Disney and ABC’s decision to suspend Jimmy Kimmel Live!? Should Bob Iger make a public statement or continue to stay quiet? Share your thoughts with us in the comments!