Jimmy Kimmel’s latest political firestorm is lacking fireworks.
The late-night comedian angered President Donald Trump and Melania Trump with his joke about the first lady having “a glow like an expectant widow.” Kimmel told the joke days before an armed man went into the hotel hosting the White House Correspondents’ Dinner on Saturday night.
On Monday, Trump wrote that “Jimmy Kimmel should be immediately fired by Disney and ABC,” and the first lady wrote that “people like Kimmel shouldn’t have the opportunity to enter our homes each evening to spread hate.”
The response from ABC and its parent Disney under new CEO Josh D’Amaro? Nothing.
That’s a reversal from last fall, when Disney and ABC suspended Kimmel’s show after a controversial joke about conservative activist Charlie Kirk’s killing.
What’s different this time around?
One likely factor is the lack of action from local broadcast giants Nexstar and Sinclair. In September, these TV station owners, which carry ABC programming, put pressure on Disney by saying they would pull Kimmel’s show.
Disney leadership also surely remembers the backlash from Kimmel fans and free-speech advocates when the company benched him.
After Disney suspended Kimmel, millions of streaming customers canceled, as the quit rates for Disney+ and Hulu spiked, according to data from research firm Antenna obtained by Business Insider.
In the previous dust-up, Disney — as well as Nexstar and Sinclair — ultimately put Kimmel’s show back on the airwaves after a few days.
Disney has been silent despite White House pressure
Kimmel hasn’t apologized for his latest hot-button joke, though he has addressed the controversy.
On Kimmel’s Monday show, he said his joke was about the age gap between the president and the first lady. He also condemned the gunman’s attack and said that “hateful and violent rhetoric is something we should reject.”
Those remarks didn’t satisfy White House Communications Director Steven Cheung, who on Tuesday criticized the late-night host for “doubling down” on the joke, “instead of doing the decent thing by apologizing.”
“ABC needs to fire him immediately and he should be shunned for the rest of his life,” Cheung wrote on X.
Disney seems to have decided that — for now — the best move is to make no move. That makes sense when you consider that suspending Kimmel or issuing a public statement supporting him both risk inflaming the situation.
The Mouse House is no stranger to the culture wars. Conservatives often criticize Disney as “woke,” though the company has quietly backed away from some DEI initiatives.
Last time around, FCC chair Brendan Carr raised the stakes by saying TV stations that don’t act “in the public interest” could get their licenses reviewed. Carr hasn’t commented publicly this time.
In September, Nexstar and Sinclair took public action after Carr’s comments. At the time, Nexstar was seeking approval for its merger with rival Tegna. (Nexstar got the green light for its merger, though the deal has since been blocked by a judge.)
Ultimately, Kimmel’s latest controversy hasn’t reached the same level of heat because it’s still largely Trump versus Kimmel. Key players from the last round of fighting — including Disney, Nexstar, Sinclair, and Carr — haven’t jumped into the fray.
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