ABC has announced that Jimmy Kimmel Live! will return to air next Tuesday, less than a week after FCC chair Brendan Carr threatened action over Kimmel's remarks. Carr had suggested on a podcast that Kimmel's comments were part of a 'concerted effort to lie to the American people' and warned that the FCC could 'do this the easy way or the hard way'.
Disney, ABC's parent company, initially suspended the show to 'avoid further inflaming a tense situation'. However, former US labour secretary Robert Reich argues that the real reason for the reversal was the 'hurricane-level blowback' from consumers, unions, and celebrities. At least five entertainment industry unions representing 400,000 workers spoke out, with the screenwriters' union accusing Disney of 'corporate cowardice'.
Celebrities including Tom Hanks, Meryl Streep, and late-night hosts Stephen Colbert, Jimmy Fallon, Seth Meyers, and John Oliver criticised the suspension. Jon Stewart devoted his show to a takedown of Disney's decision. Damon Lindelof, creator of ABC's Lost, threatened to boycott the company, and former Disney CEO Michael Eisner issued a rare public rebuke.
Even Republican senator Ted Cruz expressed concern, calling Carr's threats 'dangerous as hell'. By Monday, Carr downplayed his role, claiming the decision was a 'business decision' by Disney in response to viewer feedback. Reich notes that Disney's stock dropped about 3.5% after the suspension, losing around $4bn in market value, as consumers cancelled Disney+ and Hulu subscriptions and threatened a broader boycott.
Reich concludes that consumers have 'extraordinary power' over big corporations like Disney, which rely on their dollars. 'When our outrage translates into withholding our consumer dollars, a big corporation like Disney is forced to listen – and respond,' he writes.
