Disney is facing growing calls for a boycott after its ABC network decided to suspend Jimmy Kimmel Live! indefinitely. The suspension came after host Jimmy Kimmel made comments about conservative activist Charlie Kirk’s recent assassination. Many people say ABC’s move is a violation of free speech and worry it sets a dangerous example for censoring comedians or other commentators if someone finds their words upsetting.
“Just canceled my Disney+ account!” said one X user, sharing a screenshot that listed the reason as “for canceling Jimmy Kimmel’s show!” Another X user added, “Hit them where it hurts: the $$$.” Several Reddit threads are also calling for similar action.
ABC announced Wednesday that Jimmy Kimmel Live! “will be pre-empted indefinitely” following remarks Kimmel made during his Monday night monologue. During the show, Kimmel criticized what he called the “MAGA gang” for “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.” You can watch a clip of the segment below:
The suspension came after major ABC affiliate owners decided to drop Kimmel’s show. Nexstar Media Group, which owns 32 ABC affiliate stations and is pursuing a $6.2 billion merger with Tegna requiring FCC approval, said it would preempt the show “for the foreseeable future.” Sinclair Broadcasting, the largest ABC affiliate group in the country, also removed the show and demanded Kimmel apologize to Kirk’s family and make a “substantial personal donation” to them and Turning Point USA. Industry experts say financial interests may have influenced these decisions, as both Nexstar and Sinclair have business that requires FCC approval.
The comments came after Charlie Kirk, 31, co-founder and executive director of Turning Point USA, was fatally shot while speaking at Utah Valley University on September 10. Kirk, a prominent right-wing activist and close ally of Donald Trump, was speaking during his “American Comeback Tour” when the gunman—prime suspect Tyler James Robinson, 22—shot him in the neck from about 142 yards away.
Kirk had built Turning Point USA into one of the country’s largest political groups since founding it at 18 in 2012. The organization, which Kirk said promoted “free markets and limited government,” grew to over 2,000 college and high school chapters and played a big role in mobilizing young voters for Trump and the MAGA movement.
The assassination drew widespread condemnation from leaders across the political spectrum. President Trump, who was close to Kirk, announced his death on Truth Social, calling him “The Great, and even Legendary, Charlie Kirk.” Trump added that “no one understood or had the Heart of the Youth in the United States of America better than Charlie.”
However, Kimmel’s suspension followed unusual regulatory pressure. FCC Chairman Brendan Carr threatened action against Disney and ABC, telling podcast host Benny Johnson that local broadcasters should “step up” and stop airing Kimmel’s show. “We can do this the easy way or we can do this the hard way,” Carr warned.
Pressure Mounting on Disney
Social media exploded with calls to boycott Disney and ABC after Kimmel’s suspension. On platforms like X and Bluesky, hashtags such as #BoycottDisney and #BoycottABCNetwork gained attention. Political commentator “JoJoFromJerz” told her one million followers to “Boycott everything associated with ABC and Disney.” Keith Edwards, a left-leaning commentator, wrote on Threads: “Let’s do to Disney what we did to Target,” referencing the campaign against Target earlier this year. After Target rolled back its diversity, equity, and inclusion programs in January, the retailer faced a boycott that cost it $12.4 billion in market value. Target’s stock dropped 27% in the first half of the year, and foot traffic declined 5.7% compared to last year.
Writer Wajahat Ali called for a “unified boycott” until Kimmel is reinstated, suggesting Marvel films and sitcoms should also be targeted. “Corporations love money more than anything, & this will really harm them and force them to do the right thing,” Ali posted on X.
Free speech advocates have criticized the suspension as government censorship. The ACLU called the move “beyond McCarthyism,” warning of a “grave threat to our First Amendment freedoms.” Hollywood unions, including the Writers Guild of America and SAG-AFTRA, said the suspension infringes on constitutional rights.
Democratic lawmakers said pulling Kimmel shows government censorship in action, with FCC Commissioner Anna Gomez noting the administration’s use of power to suppress lawful expression.
The suspension of Kimmel follows CBS’s earlier decision to cancel The Late Show with Stephen Colbert at the end of this season, officially for financial reasons, though some critics questioned if politics played a role. President Trump praised both decisions and called on NBC to cancel late-night shows hosted by Jimmy Fallon and Seth Meyers, whom he called “two total losers.”
