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Credit: Inside The MagicIn recent history, there may be no more a controversial political figure than Donald Trump. His brazen behavior and brash personality have garnered a large following, which has helped him become President of the United States twice. However, it has also caused him to gain a large opposition, and those who are fighting to change the law so convicted felons cannot run for president.
Earlier this year, the president-elect was convicted of 34 felonies in the hush-money case centered around former adult entertainer Stormy Daniels. And in May 2023, Mr. Trump was also found liable for the sexual assault of E. Jean Carroll, an event that took place in the mid-1990s.
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And it was the E. Jean Carroll case that was at the center of a massive lawsuit Mr. Trump filed against ABC News and legendary news anchor George Stephanopoulos.
During an interview with Congresswoman Nancy Mace, Mr. Stephanopoulos asked Ms. Mace, a rape survivor, how she could support Donald Trump.
“You’ve endorsed Donald Trump for president,” Stephanopoulos told Mace. “Donald Trump has been found liable for rape by a jury. Donald Trump has been found liable for defaming the victim of that rape by a jury. It’s been affirmed by a judge—”
Shortly after the interview, Trump sued ABC News — which is owned by Disney — and Mr. Stephanopoulos for defamation, and in the end, Disney and ABC decided to settle for a whopping $16 million.
While Mr. Stephanopoulos originally seemed unbothered by the lawsuit, he is apparently singing a different tune now that ABC has agreed to settle with the president-elect. Sources close to the matter say that Stephanopoulos is “humiliated” by the decision and the apology that ABC issued after the settlement was announced.
And now, many are wondering if George Stephanopoulos’s career at ABC News might be in jeopardy.
According to a report from The New York Post, Stephanopoulos was repeatedly told NOT to use the word “rape” during his interview with Nancy Mace. However, despite these warnings, he did it anyway.
“‘This Week’ producer said ‘don’t use the word rape’ before the segment started,” a network source told The Post. “The EP [executive producer] said it so many times.”
A second source at the show confirmed via a text message viewed by The Post that Stephanopoulos was warned “not to say rape.”
Disney’s chances of winning the lawsuit would be damaged if Stephanopoulos ignored his producer’s warning, legal experts told The Post.
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Of course, a fair number of legal scholars were shocked at Disney CEO Bob Iger’s decision to settle with Donald Trump. Experts who spoke with Variety said that it could have a “chilling effect”, with other networks opting to stay quiet so they don’t risk getting sued. But, on the other hand, some said that the media had been “sloppy”, and this was the consequence of that sloppiness.
Neither Disney nor ABC has commented on the lawsuit, so many are still wondering why Iger decided to settle instead of fighting it in court.
ABC News used to be the top news studio but has slipped in recent years. George Stephanopoulos is one of the highest-paid news anchors in the business, making $18 million per year. But with the recent settlement, many are questioning if he is worth a paycheck that large, especially with ABC News programs slipping in the ratings.
Bob Iger has long been a champion of Mr. Stephanopoulos. In 2020, when the longtime anchor’s contract was up, Mr. Iger was the lead force behind giving Stephanopoulos the contract he wanted.
Do you think Disney and ABC should have fought the lawsuit in court? Or were they right to settle? Should they part ways with George Stephanopoulos? Share your thoughts in the comments!