In backing Jimmy Kimmel, Disney stands up to Trump
The return of Jimmy Kimmel's show is the most muscular corporate response to Trump's bullying so far in 2025.
The uncanceling of ABC late-night host Jimmy Kimmel after a six-day suspension is a victory for critics of President Trump. It’s also the most muscular pushback Trump has gotten from corporate America during his second term, which has been notable so far for the obeisance of big businesses fearful of provoking a president plainly willing to use the power of the government against them.
Kimmel’s return was hardly a given. ABC suspended the comedian’s show on September 17 after Kimmel made some touchy comments about Charlie Kirk, the conservative activist murdered a week earlier. In the New York Times, media critic Michael Hirschorn wrote that Kimmel “is highly unlikely to ever host on network television again.”
The assumption was that ABC parent Disney would take the easy way out and simply can Kimmel, a frequent Trump critic. That would have been in line with CBS owner Paramount’s decision in July to cancel Stephen Colbert’s show once his contract expires next year. Paramount needed government approval for a pending merger, and axing Colbert, another Trump agitator, seemed to be the price of getting it. The Federal Communications Commission greenlit the Paramount deal a week after CBS ditched Colbert.
Disney, instead of appeasing Trump, antagonized him. In his return monologue, Kimmel trolled Trump, saying, “he did his best to cancel me and instead he forced millions of people to watch the show. That backfired bigly.” That monologue is now setting viewership records on YouTube.
Kimmel also called FCC chair Brendan Carr “embarrassing” and said it was “not particularly intelligent” for Carr to threaten Disney with a regulatory squeeze, as Carr did on Sept. 17. Them’s fighting words.
Triumphant as Kimmel was, Disney CEO Bob Iger certainly knows Trump won’t passively take the L. Kimmel himself said, “I think this puts [Disney] at risk.” Before Kimmel even went on-air, Trump posted on social media, “I can’t believe ABC Fake News gave Jimmy Kimmel his job back … I think we’re going to test ABC out on this.”
Trump personally sued ABC last year for defamation, with the network settling for $16 million. The FCC regulates ABC and Disney’s broadcast stations on an ongoing basis and can hassle the company if it wants to. Disney will need government approval to complete the landmark deal between its cable channel ESPN and the National Football League. Carr has already begun an FCC investigation into Disney’s diversity policies, much as Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis warred with Disney from 2022 to 2024 over so-called “anti-woke” practices.
Iger is a shrewd CEO who is now the most prominent business leader to resist Trump’s bullying of corporate America. Dozens of CEOs have decided it’s better to make nice with Trump, even when they disagree with him, instead of risking his wrath. Amazon, Meta, Google, Apple, Microsoft, General Motors, Nvidia and many other companies made million-dollar donations to Trump’s inaugural committee in January. Coca-Cola is making some soda with cane sugar instead of corn syrup because Trump asked them to. Nvidia CEO Jensen Huang has become a Trump BFF and earned his company favorable policy decisions in the process. A dozen prominent law firms have agreed to do pro bono work for Trumpy causes to avoid possible penalties Trump could impose.
Disney’s tussle with DeSantis makes Iger a veteran of the culture wars Trump and other conservatives have used adroitly to bash Democrats as effete dilettantes out of touch with ordinary people. Under Iger, Disney settled the Florida dispute in a way broadly viewed as a draw.
Iger may have some unusual allies in whatever the next round of battle turns out to be with Trump. Several conservatives, including Senators Ted Cruz, Mitch McConnell and Rand Paul, criticized Carr for threatening ABC and defended Kimmel on the basis of free speech. For once, a few prominent Republicans criticized a Trump policy publicly.
Brocaster Joe Rogan, who supported Trump in the 2024 presidential campaign, defended Kimmel and said the government shouldn’t have any control over what comedians say on a TV show. Trump and Carr may still try to make life miserable for Disney. But the issue is breaking against them in terms of public opinion.
Disney is also likely to sue if the FCC or any other government agency tries to turn the screws a little tighter than usual. Trump relishes legal battles that force his foes to spend millions on lawyers--but loses many of them.
Iger is also obligated to consider whether Disney’s shareholders are better off with the company battling Trump or bowing to him. The company’s stock fell after ABC suspended Kimmel, but rose after he returned. The market seems to approve, along with millions of viewers.