Walt Disney's new chief executive, Josh D'Amaro, and his team are tasked with determining the company's response to a public dispute between Donald Trump and ABC late-night host Jimmy Kimmel, Disney Chair James Gorman confirmed on Tuesday.
Background of the Dispute
The U.S. president and first lady have called for Kimmel's dismissal from ABC and its parent company Disney on Monday. The demands followed remarks Kimmel made about Melania Trump on Thursday, days before a shooting incident at Saturday's White House correspondents' dinner.
Kimmel addressed the controversy on Monday, explaining that his joke about Melania Trump having "a glow like an expectant widow" was a reference to the age difference between the first lady and her husband, not a "call to assassination."
Disney Chair's Statement
Disney's board chair acknowledged that large corporations occasionally encounter "these kinds of issues" that require resolution. "It's the job of the CEO with their team to figure out the right answer and they'll be guided by the board," Gorman stated at a business conference in Oslo. He declined to offer specific advice from himself or the board regarding the future of "Jimmy Kimmel Live!"
Gorman expressed confidence in the new CEO, who took the helm at Disney last month. "We have a terrific new CEO, Josh D'Amaro, he's world class so I'm sure he'll rise to the occasion and do what the right thing is," he added.
Shooting Incident at Correspondents' Dinner
The shooting incident at the Washington Hilton lobby on Saturday led to the swift evacuation of the president, his wife, and other senior government officials from the dinner.
On Monday night, Kimmel kicked off Jimmy Kimmel Live! by describing the joke as a light roast about the couple's age difference and "not, by any stretch of the definition, a call to assassination."
"And they know that. I've been very vocal for many years, speaking out against gun violence, in particular," he continued.
The host went on to express sympathy for the president and others at the event, saying they had endured a "traumatic and scary" ordeal. "I agree that hateful and violent rhetoric is something we should reject," Kimmel said. "I do, and I think a great place to start to dial that back would be to have a conversation with your husband about it."
First Lady's Response
Melania responded to last week's sketch in a post shared on X on Monday and described the talk show host as a "coward." She said: "Kimmel's hateful and violent rhetoric is intended to divide our country. His monologue about my family isn't comedy – his words are corrosive and deepen the political sickness within America. People like Kimmel shouldn't have the opportunity to enter our homes each evening to spread hate. A coward, Kimmel hides behind ABC because he knows the network will keep running cover to protect him. Enough is enough. It is time for ABC to take a stand. How many times will ABC's leadership enable Kimmel's atrocious behaviour at the expense of our community."
