ABC’s decision to pull “Jimmy Kimmel Live!” from its programming spurred a wave of Disney+ subscription cancellations, which reportedly shut down the webpage for a time. Boycotters have described Disney’s decision as capitulation to the Trump administration and large local television networks that pulled Kimmel’s show over remarks about the assassination of Charlie Kirk.
Disney is the parent company of ABC and features the network’s content on its streaming service, Disney+. The Wall St. Journal reported Disney Entertainment co-chair Dana Walden discussed the backlash with Kimmel and was eventually the one who informed him of the suspension.
Pushback
Shortly after news that Kimmel’s show had been canceled, calls to boycott ABC and Disney surfaced on social media platforms.
The company hasn’t released statements regarding calls to boycott the company as of Saturday morning. Disney’s stock fell 2% from the beginning of the week.
Outage
“Cancel Disney Plus” searches surged on Google Wednesday afternoon. By that evening, reports began to surface of Disney’s subscription cancellation portal crashing for some users.
It was accessible as of Friday evening.
Kimmel’s remarks that started the row
Kimmel opened his show by addressing the Kirk assassination on Sept. 15.
“We had some new lows over the weekend with the MAGA gang desperately trying to characterize this kid who murdered Charlie Kirk as anything other than one of them,” Kimmel said during the monologue.
The remarks sparked broad condemnation from conservatives. FCC Chair Brendan Carr said inflammatory comments like that should be enough to consider pulling the network’s broadcast license.
