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Iger Says Kimmel Suspension Was About 'Bad Taste,' Not Politics

The former Disney chief told the Financial Times he asked Jimmy Kimmel to acknowledge an ill‑timed remark and framed the decision as editorial judgment rather than a concession to the White House.

Jimmy Kimmel and Bob Iger attend 2018 From Paris With Love Children's Hospital Los Angeles Gala at L.A. Live Event Deck on October 20, 2018 in Los Angeles, California.
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Overview

  • In a June interview with the Financial Times, Bob Iger said Disney pulled Jimmy Kimmel Live! over an on‑air comment it viewed as ill timed and in bad taste and that the network asked Kimmel to acknowledge the remark.
  • The dispute began in September 2025 when Kimmel’s monologue about Charlie Kirk prompted public ire, threats of regulatory action from FCC chair Brendan Carr, and decisions by Nexstar and Sinclair to withhold the show from their ABC affiliates.
  • ABC suspended the show for several days in mid‑September 2025 before reinstating it, and Kimmel’s return episode drew an unusually large audience with Nielsen reporting roughly 8.6 million viewers.
  • Reporting at the time said Iger and Disney Entertainment co‑chair Dana Walden signed off on the suspension, a detail critics used to argue the company capitulated to political pressure even as Iger now disputes that framing.
  • The episode left lasting consequences for Disney and ABC: Kimmel remains on air with a contract extension, corporate leadership changed in March 2026, and the FCC’s heightened scrutiny of ABC’s licenses continues to shape the regulatory backdrop.