In a week marked by controversy, political drama, and a growing public backlash, the suspension of Jimmy Kimmel Live! has become a flashpoint in the ongoing debate over free speech, government influence, and the power of celebrity protest. The fallout from ABC’s decision to pull the late-night show off the air has sent shockwaves through Hollywood and Wall Street alike, with Disney—the parent company of ABC—facing mounting criticism and financial repercussions.
The immediate spark came during the memorial service for right-wing activist Charlie Kirk, held at Glendale’s State Farm Stadium on September 21, 2025. There, President Donald Trump posthumously awarded Kirk the Presidential Medal of Freedom and used his eulogy as a platform to attack his political adversaries and the media. Trump’s remarks were striking for their candor—he drew a sharp contrast between himself and Kirk, declaring, “He wanted the best for them. That’s where I disagreed with Charlie. I hate my opponents and I don’t want the best for them.” According to Variety and ITM, these comments—while shocking—were consistent with Trump’s recent rhetoric, especially as he celebrated the suspension of Jimmy Kimmel Live! as “great news for America.”
The president’s remarks came amid growing concerns that the administration and its supporters were politicizing Kirk’s assassination and leveraging the controversy to reshape the media landscape. Trump did not shy away from stoking the flames, taking aim not only at Kimmel but also at fellow late-night hosts Jimmy Fallon and Seth Meyers, whom he described as “two total losers,” calling for their shows to be next on the chopping block.
The catalyst for the show’s suspension was Kimmel’s own sharp criticism of the so-called “MAGA gang.” On a recent broadcast, Kimmel accused Trump supporters of “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.” The backlash was swift and fierce. FCC Chair Brendan Carr labeled Kimmel’s comments “truly sick” and ominously warned Disney and its networks, “we can do this the easy way or we can do this the hard way,” suggesting possible regulatory action.
ABC’s decision to pre-empt and then indefinitely suspend Jimmy Kimmel Live! came after Nexstar Media—one of the nation’s largest owners of TV stations—vowed to block the show’s airings in response to Kimmel’s remarks. The move ignited a cultural firestorm, with critics from across the political and entertainment spectrum denouncing what they saw as a grave threat to the First Amendment and the independence of the media.
Hollywood’s response was swift and unequivocal. Mark Ruffalo, a mainstay of the Marvel Cinematic Universe as Bruce Banner/The Hulk since 2012, took to Threads to share a report that Disney’s stock had dropped 7 percent following Kimmel’s suspension. “It’s going to go down a lot further if they cancel his show. Disney does not want to be the ones that broke America,” Ruffalo wrote. While some financial outlets noted the actual decline was closer to 1 percent on September 18 and 19, the perception of a major hit to Disney’s market value quickly took hold.
Pedro Pascal, fresh off his role as Mister Fantastic in The Fantastic Four: First Steps, posted on Instagram: “Standing with you Jimmy Kimmel Live!” He continued, “Defend free speech” and “defend democracy,” rallying his millions of followers to the cause. Marvel stars Marisa Tomei and Tatiana Maslany joined the chorus, urging fans to “unsubscribe and boycott” Disney platforms, including Disney+, Hulu, and ESPN. The hashtag #CancelDisneyPlus began trending on X (formerly Twitter), and by September 21, Disney’s stock had dropped more than 2 percent—an estimated $4.4 billion—according to ITM.
The protest extended well beyond the Marvel family. Wanda Sykes, who was scheduled to appear on Kimmel’s show the day it was pulled, posted a video criticizing the Trump administration: “Let’s see. He didn’t end the Ukraine war or solve Gaza within his first week. But he did end freedom of speech within his first year. Hey, for those of you who pray, now’s the time to do it. Love you, Jimmy.” Conan O’Brien, another late-night veteran, wrote on X, “The suspension of @jimmykimmel and the promise to silence other Late Night hosts for criticizing the administration should disturb everyone on the Right, Left, and Center. It’s wrong and anyone with a conscience knows it’s wrong.”
Former Disney CEO Michael Eisner also weighed in, calling the suspension a sign of “poor leadership at Disney.” On X, he lamented, “Where has all the leadership gone? If not for university presidents, law firm managing partners, and corporate chief executives standing up against bullies, who then will step up for the first amendment?” Damon Lindelof, creator of ABC’s Lost, posted on Instagram that he was “shocked, saddened and infuriated” by the suspension, declaring he “can’t in good conscience work for the company that imposed it.”
The groundswell of celebrity support was formalized in a statement signed by over 600 entertainers, which declared: “It’s a dark time for comedians and, by extension, for all Americans. Every culture needs humor. It’s how we heal and how we connect with each other. Take it away, and what’s left is fear, silence, and a bleak existence.” The statement continued, “When the government targets one of us, they target all of us… They strip away the basic right every person deserves: to speak freely, question boldly, and laugh loudly. This double standard—where those in power can criticize and ridicule without consequence, but silence those who do the same in return—is an outrage. It’s unlawful.”
The economic impact for Disney has been real and immediate. With subscriber cancellations mounting and the company’s stock sliding, the financial stakes are as high as the reputational ones. Mark Ruffalo’s warning—“It’s going to go down a lot further if they cancel his show”—now seems more prophetic than rhetorical, as the entertainment giant faces a full-blown crisis.
Meanwhile, the political dimensions of the controversy have only grown more pronounced. Former President Barack Obama, reflecting on the situation, wrote: “After years of complaining about cancel culture, the current administration has taken it to a new and dangerous level by routinely threatening regulatory action against media companies unless they muzzle or fire reporters and commentators it doesn’t like. This is precisely the kind of government coercion that the First Amendment was designed to prevent, and media companies need to start standing up rather than capitulating it.”
As the standoff continues, the fate of Jimmy Kimmel Live! hangs in the balance. Negotiations between Disney and Kimmel may yet yield a return to the airwaves, but the broader questions raised by this episode—about free speech, the role of government, and the responsibilities of corporate America—are likely to resonate far beyond late-night television. For now, the battle lines are drawn, with artists, executives, politicians, and the public all watching closely to see who will blink first.
