Walt Disney's new chief executive, Josh D'Amaro, will lead 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.
The US president and first lady Melania Trump have called for Kimmel's dismissal from ABC and its parent company Disney, following remarks Kimmel made about Melania on Thursday. In his Monday show, Kimmel described the joke as a light roast about the couple's age difference, not a 'call to assassination'.
Gorman, speaking at a business conference in Oslo, said large corporations occasionally face such issues and that it is the CEO's job to find the right answer, guided by the board. He declined to offer specific advice on the future of 'Jimmy Kimmel Live!'.
'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,' Gorman added.
The dispute escalated after a shooting incident at the White House correspondents' dinner on Saturday, which led to the evacuation of the president and others. Melania Trump posted on X, calling Kimmel a 'coward' and urging ABC to take a stand against his 'hateful and violent rhetoric'.
