Shock jock radio personality Howard Stern says he is canceling his Disney Plus subscription in protest of ABC’s indefinite suspension of “Jimmy Kimmel Live!,” joining a growing boycott movement sparked by the network’s decision to pull the late-night host off the air.
“I’m canceling my Disney Plus,” Stern said on his SiriusXM show Monday morning. “I’m trying to say with the pocketbook that I do not support what they’re doing with Jimmy.”
Stern’s protest comes after ABC, owned by Disney, suspended Kimmel’s show last week following intense pressure from FCC Chairman Brendan Carr and major broadcast station owners over Kimmel’s monologue about the assassination of conservative activist Charlie Kirk. The decision has ignited a fierce debate about free speech and government overreach in media.
The controversy began when Kimmel criticized what he called the “MAGA gang” for attempting to “score political points” from Kirk’s murder at Utah Valley University on Sept. 10. Charlie Kirk, the 31-year-old cofounder of Turning Point USA and close Trump ally, was fatally shot while hosting a campus debate event. Tyler Robinson, 22, has been charged with Kirk’s murder.
Stern voiced broader concerns about government interference in media, drawing from his own experiences with censorship.
“I just know when the government begins to interfere, when the government says, ‘I’m not pleased with you, so we’re going to orchestrate a way to silence you,’ it’s the wrong direction for our country,” Stern said. “And I should know. I’ve been involved in something like this.”
Stern has an extensive history of clashes with the FCC spanning over a decade. Between 1990 and 2004, the FCC issued a record-breaking $2.5 million in fines against radio stations that aired “The Howard Stern Show” for content it deemed indecent—the highest amount ever levied against any American radio program. The regulatory assault peaked in 1992 when Infinity Broadcasting was hit with a $600,000 fine, then the largest single indecency penalty in U.S. broadcasting history. The sustained pressure from federal regulators ultimately forced Stern’s employer to pay a $1.7 million settlement in 1995 to clear all outstanding FCC violations.
Later, in 2004, Clear Channel Communications permanently dropped Stern from six stations after the FCC proposed a $495,000 fine for alleged indecency violations. Stern explicitly characterized these actions as politically motivated censorship, stating at the time: “It is pretty shocking that governmental interference into our rights and free speech takes place in the U.S. It’s hard to reconcile this with the ‘land of the free’ and the ‘home of the brave.'”
The regulatory crackdown became so severe that Stern eventually abandoned terrestrial radio entirely, signing with satellite provider SiriusXM in 2005 to escape FCC oversight—a move that represented one of the most significant victories of government censorship over free expression in modern broadcasting history.
Kimmel’s suspension followed warnings from FCC Chairman Carr, who threatened to revoke broadcast licenses if ABC affiliates continued airing Kimmel’s show.
“We can do this the easy way or the hard way,” Carr said during a podcast appearance with conservative personality Benny Johnson. “These companies can find ways to change conduct and take actions on Kimmel, or there’s going to be additional work for the FCC ahead.”
Major station owners Nexstar Media Group and Sinclair Broadcast Group preemptively announced they would drop Kimmel’s program from their ABC affiliates, citing concerns about serving the “public interest.” This pressure campaign ultimately forced Disney executives Bob Iger and Dana Walden to suspend the show to protect the company from potential regulatory action.
Stern joins a significant boycott movement that has emerged in response to Kimmel’s suspension. Marvel stars Tatiana Maslany, who played She-Hulk on Disney Plus, and Mark Ruffalo have called for subscription cancellations. Former Congressman Adam Kinzinger and numerous other celebrities have also canceled their Disney services in protest.
The financial impact has been swift and substantial. Disney’s stock fell approximately 2-3% following the suspension announcement, representing billions in lost market cap. Reports suggest Disney’s subscription cancellation pages temporarily crashed due to heavy traffic from users boycotting the service.
Even some prominent Republicans have criticized the FCC’s actions. Sen. Rand Paul (R-Ky.) called Carr’s threats “absolutely inappropriate,” stating the FCC chairman had “no business weighing in” on Kimmel’s comments.
Disney and Kimmel representatives are reportedly in negotiations to resolve the situation, though no timeline has been established for the show’s return. The suspension has left approximately 200 staff members uncertain about their employment future, with Disney committing to pay them only through the end of September, according to CNN.
The controversy represents an unprecedented moment in American broadcasting, with observers noting major station owners have never before preemptively refused to air network programming due to political content. As Stern emphasized in his announcement, the situation extends beyond one comedian to fundamental questions about free speech and corporate courage in the face of government pressure.
For this story, Fortune used generative AI to help with an initial draft. An editor verified the accuracy of the information before publishing.
