Iger’s Choice

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It’s been about 72 hours since the issues began for Disney and Jimmy Kimmel, and as of Friday afternoon in Hollywood, there’s still no clarity on when, or if, Kimmel’s talk show will return. As the first week of this disruption ends, it’s important to understand what happened: a coordinated effort targeted *Jimmy Kimmel Live!*. Regulatory officials, aligned with the Trump administration, pressured TV stations that broadcast Kimmel’s show to cancel it, led by FCC chair Brendan Carr and right-wing podcaster Benny Johnson.

That’s precisely what happened, and only after that did Disney’s ABC network stop producing *JKL*. Kimmel hadn’t done anything seriously wrong to warrant punishment from ABC. Instead, Carr, knowing Trump wanted Kimmel to be the next late-night host to lose his job, seized on a minor complaint and exaggerated it into a full-blown attack on Kimmel, ABC, and freedom of speech.

Yesterday, I explored the reasoning behind Disney – specifically CEO Bob Iger and TV head Dana Walden – deciding to temporarily halt Jimmy Kimmel’s show. Although no one is officially commenting, people inside Disney suggest Iger and Walden hope to bring the show back, but they wanted a break to allow things to calm down before Kimmel addressed the controversy surrounding his comments. Many colleagues and friends have asked if I believe this explanation, and while I generally do, I have some reservations.

Bob Iger and Dana Walden are big fans of Jimmy Kimmel and have always enjoyed working with him. Many Disney executives, including Rob Mills, who oversees Kimmel’s show, also have strong relationships with him, collaborating on numerous projects like the Oscars, *Who Wants to Be a Millionaire*, and Kimmel’s *Live in Front of a Studio Audience* series. Kimmel has consistently been a supportive partner to Disney, which Iger and Walden value. However, two major station groups, reaching around 25% of the country, have made it clear they aren’t interested in Kimmel or his audience and are unlikely to carry his show again unless he offers a significant apology. The issue is that it’s unclear if anything Kimmel could say would change their minds, especially since one of these groups, the very conservative Sinclair, is demanding he donate to Turning Point USA to earn back their support. They aren’t just looking for an apology; they want Kimmel to be publicly humbled.

Just because Sinclair or Nexstar won’t bring Kimmel back right now doesn’t mean they never will, or that their requests will stay the same. However, it does explain why it’s taking so long to find a solution. Disney needs to see if they can address the concerns of their local stations without making Kimmel say something he doesn’t agree with, or preventing him from speaking out on important issues – like calling out obvious falsehoods. If Disney can’t find a compromise, Walden and Iger need to decide if they’re willing to risk losing those stations in order to support Kimmel.

I believe the show could and definitely should move forward with a limited broadcast strategy. Even with distribution through its own channels, Hulu, and YouTube, Jimmy Kimmel’s show would still reach a large audience. Historically, networks have aired late-night and daytime programs without full national coverage – for example, CBS’s *The Late Late Show* didn’t initially air in every city, and was sometimes delayed until 3 AM. While limiting coverage would impact revenue, late-night television isn’t typically a major source of profit. I agree with former Disney CEO Michael Eisner’s recent post: defending the First Amendment and opposing government censorship is a worthwhile principle.

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2025-09-19 23:54