Howard Stern cancels Disney+ subscription following Jimmy Kimmel suspension
Howard Stern has revealed he has cancelled his Disney+ subscription in support of Jimmy Kimmel following his suspension.
Kimmel’s late-night show, Jimmy Kimmel Live, was suspended until further notice by ABC, which is owned by Disney, last week. The decision to suspend Kimmel was made following an outcry over remarks he made about the Trump administration’s reaction to the death of Charlie Kirk.
Before the suspension, the Federal Communications Commission chairman, Brendan Carr, labelled comments made by Kimmel about Trump grieving Kirk in the same way “a four-year-old mourns a goldfish” as “sick” and also claimed he “directly mislead the American public”.
Additionally, the Sinclair Group, the largest ABC affiliate, and Nexstar, which also owns many ABC stations, said it would not air Jimmy Kimmel Live for the foreseeable future due to his “offensive and insensitive” comments.
Now, Stern, who broadcasts Monday to Wednesday on Sirius XM, has addressed the Kimmel suspension on his radio show.
“As you know, ABC threw Jimmy off the air. I don’t know what their plan is, but it looks like they might be firing (him),” Stern told listeners. “And then I read sometimes that they’re not gonna fire him. I don’t know.”
Stern revealed he had spoken to Kimmel to find out how he “was doing personally” but kept the details of their conversation private.
The radio veteran then turned his attention to the FCC for condemning Kimmel, stating, “I just know when the government begins to interfere, when the government says, ‘I’m not pleased with you, so we’re gonna orchestrate a way to silence you,’ it’s the wrong direction for our country.”
He also explained why he felt sorry for ABC being placed in this perilous position, stating, “I’ve been involved in something like this. And now ABC is put in the same position and it’s unfortunate that ABC even has to be in this position. They shouldn’t have to be in this position. I feel for them, too, in this.”
However, Stern believes that it’s vital that they don’t “bow” to pressure to keep Kimmel off air. He’s also taken things into in his own hands, too, sharing, “Now it might sound stupid, but the thing I did this morning, I’m cancelling my Disney+.”
Actors Cynthia Dixon and Marisa Tomei have also cancelled their Disney+ subscriptions. Stern said of his reasoning, “I’m trying to say with the pocketbook that I do not support what they’re doing with Jimmy.”
Earlier today, Robert De Niro, Tom Hanks, and Jennifer Aniston were among over 400 names in the entertainment industry to have signed an open letter supporting Kimmel. The letter, which has been published by the American Civil Liberties Union (ACLU), makes an extensive statement from Hollywood over the right to free speech.
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