"Where has all the leadership gone?": Former Disney chief weighs in as Jimmy Kimmel faces ABC suspension

Jimmy Kimmel's sudden suspension from ABC has Hollywood buzzing after the comic-TV host's remarks in the wake of Charlie Kirk's death. Now, the stand-down has stretched into a wider entertainment industry, with a former Disney chief weighing in on the controversy.

On Friday, Sept. 19, Disney CEO Michael Eisner took to X (formerly Twitter) to speak out on the debacle over Jimmy Kimmel.

"Where has all the leadership gone? If not for university presidents, law firm managing partners, and corporate chief executives standing up against bullies, who then will step up for the first amendment?"

Michael Eisner, who was Disney's chief for over two decades, went on to blast the network's handling of its longtime host.

"The 'suspending indefinitely' of Jimmy Kimmel immediately after the Chairman of the FCC's aggressive yet hollow threatening of the Disney Company is yet another example of out-of-control intimidation. Maybe the Constitution should have said, 'Congress shall make no law abridging the freedom of speech, or of the press, except in one’s political or financial self-interest.'"

He concluded his tweet with:

"By-the-way, for the record, this ex-CEO finds Jimmy Kimmel very talented and funny."

Jimmy Kimmel’s suspension: Breaking down the fallout step by step

Jimmy Kimmel's suspension came after his input following Charlie Kirk's death, and days after the suspected assassin, Tyler Robinson, was brought into custody. On his show on Sept. 15, Kimmel said:

“We hit 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 and doing everything they can to score political points from it. In between the finger-pointing, there was grieving.”

He went on:

“On Friday, the White House flew the flags at half-staff, which got some criticism. But on a human level, you can see how hard the president is taking this...”

The show then showed a clip of President Donald Trump speaking to the press. In the video, a reporter asked him how he is holding up over the last day and a half, and the president responds:

“I think very good, and by the way, right there, you see all the trucks? They’ve just started construction of the new ballroom for the White House.”

The laugh track also flared out as the president spoke.

Not long enough, the host was targeted by pro-Trump websites and supporters, such as right-wing activist Benny Johnson, who called Jimmy Kimmel's comments “the sickest conduct possible" on Sept. 17.

Nexstar, which operates dozens of ABC affiliates, released a statement on the same day that it "strongly objects" to Jimmy Kimmel's remarks. It added:

"Mr. Kimmel’s comments about the death of Mr. Kirk are offensive and insensitive at a critical time in our national political discourse, and we do not believe they reflect the spectrum of opinions, views, or values of the local communities in which we are located."

The statement continued:

“Continuing to give Mr. Kimmel a broadcast platform in the communities we serve is simply not in the public interest at the current time, and we have made the difficult decision to preempt his show in an effort to let cooler heads prevail as we move toward the resumption of respectful, constructive dialogue.”

Following the suspension, President Donald Trump praised ABC via Truth Social on Sept. 18.

“Congratulations to ABC for finally having the courage to do what had to be done. That leaves Jimmy (Fallon) and Seth, two total losers, on Fake News NBC. Their ratings are also horrible. Do it NBC!!!”

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