Disney is facing mounting boycott threats after its ABC network decided to indefinitely suspend “Jimmy Kimmel Live!” over comments the host, comedian Jimmy Kimmel, made about conservative activist Charlie Kirk’s recent assassination. Many claim ABC’s move is a violation of free speech, and is a disturbing precedent to censure commentary, especially from comedians, if some people find it upsetting.
“Just canceled my Disney+ account!” said one X user, who shared a screenshot of his account page that said the reason for ending his subscription was “for canceling Jimmy Kimmel’s show!” “Hit them where it hurts: the $$$” said another X user. Several threads on Reddit call for similar action.
ABC announced Wednesday that “Jimmy Kimmel Live! will be pre-empted indefinitely” following remarks Kimmel made during his Monday night monologue. During the show, Kimmel criticized what he called the “MAGA gang” for “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.” You can watch a clip of the segment below:
The suspension followed decisions by major ABC affiliate owners to drop Kimmel’s show. Nexstar Media Group, which owns 32 ABC affiliate stations and is pursuing a $6.2 billion merger with Tegna requiring FCC approval, announced it would preempt the show “for the foreseeable future.” Sinclair Broadcasting, the nation’s largest ABC affiliate group, also removed the show and demanded Kimmel apologize to Kirk’s family and make a “substantial personal donation” to them and Turning Point USA. Industry analysts suggest financial incentives may have influenced these decisions, with both Nexstar and Sinclair having business interests requiring FCC approval.
The comments came after Charlie Kirk, the 31-year-old co-founder and executive director of Turning Point USA, was fatally shot while speaking at Utah Valley University on September 10. Kirk, a prominent right-wing political activist and close ally of Donald Trump, was addressing an audience during his “American Comeback Tour” when a gunman—the prime suspect in custody is Tyler James Robinson, 22—shot him in the neck from approximately 142 yards away.
Kirk had built Turning Point USA into one of the country’s largest political organizations since founding it at age 18 in 2012. The organization, which Kirk described as advocating for “free markets and limited government,” expanded to over 2,000 college and high school chapters and played a significant role in mobilizing young voters for Trump and the MAGA movement.
The assassination prompted widespread condemnation from political leaders across the spectrum. President Trump, who had a close relationship with Kirk, announced his death on Truth Social, calling him “The Great, and even Legendary, Charlie Kirk.” Trump added “no one understood or had the Heart of the Youth in the United States of America better than Charlie.”
However, the suspension of Kimmel’s show came after unprecedented regulatory pressure. FCC Chairman Brendan Carr threatened action against Disney and ABC, telling podcast host Benny Johnson that local broadcasters should “step up” and stop airing Kimmel’s show. “We can do this the easy way or we can do this the hard way,” Carr warned.
Pressure mounting on Disney
Social media erupted with calls to boycott Disney and ABC following Kimmel’s suspension. On platforms like X and Bluesky, hashtags such as #BoycottDisney and #BoycottABCNetwork gained traction. Political commentator “JoJoFromJerz” urged her one million followers to “Boycott everything associated with ABC and Disney.” Keith Edwards, a left-leaning political commentator, wrote on Threads: “Let’s do to Disney what we did to Target,” referencing the successful campaign against Target earlier this year. After Target rolled back its diversity, equity and inclusion programs in January, the retailer faced a sustained boycott that cost the company $12.4 billion in market value. Target’s stock dropped 27% in the first half of the year, with foot traffic declining 5.7% year-over-year.
Writer Wajahat Ali called for a “unified boycott” until Kimmel is reinstated, suggesting that Marvel films and sitcoms should also be targeted. “Corporations love money more than anything, & this will really harm them and force them to do the right thing,” Ali posted on X.
Free speech advocates have condemned the suspension as government censorship. The ACLU called the move “beyond McCarthyism,” warning of a “grave threat to our First Amendment freedoms.” Hollywood unions, including the Writers Guild of America and SAG-AFTRA, criticized the action as an infringement on constitutional rights.
Democratic lawmakers warned that pulling Kimmel demonstrates government censorship in action, with FCC Commissioner Anna Gomez noting the administration’s use of government power to suppress lawful expression.
The suspension of Kimmel follows CBS’s earlier decision to cancel “The Late Show with Stephen Colbert” at the end of this season, which the network attributed to financial reasons though critics questioned whether political considerations played a role. Trump has praised both decisions and urged NBC to cancel its remaining late-night shows hosted by Jimmy Fallon and Seth Meyers, who he called “two total losers.”
For this story, Fortune used generative AI to help with an initial draft. An editor verified the accuracy of the information before publishing.
