I write to protest in the strongest possible terms the decision of ABC, a Disney-owned company, to suspend Jimmy Kimmel Live! I watch Kimmel every night. He is a comedian. He makes jokes, just like he did on the night of his suspension. His target, as it often is, was Donald Trump. Nothing Kimmel said on that night was disrespectful of Charlie Kirk, his family, or the tragic and reprehensible way Mr. Kirk was gunned down. Yet ABC suspended Kimmel because of the Federal Communications Commission’s threat to suspend ABC’s license — a threat issued largely, in my opinion, because of Kimmel’s jokes at Trump’s expense.
I have been a fan of the Walt Disney Corporation for most of my 73 years. I once made a Disney-themed cross-stitch quilt for a friend. (Do you know how long it takes to cross-stitch seven complete Disney movie scenes? It’s a labor of love.)
Disney, to me, has been a bastion of American values and decency. I loved Disney’s push-back against Gov. Ron DeSantis in Florida over its assertion that its right to free speech had been violated. So I cannot believe that Disney green-lighted ABC’s cowardly decision to suspend Jimmy Kimmel “indefinitely,” thus violating his free speech rights. Since Disney is ABC’s parent corporation, I have to accept that it did so.
Consequently, I have cancelled my Disney+ subscription, and I will be using the same judgement in any Disney-related products and companies that I actively or inadvertently may be patronizing. I urge others to do so. If a corporation with the resources and stature of Disney cannot stand up to blatant, self-serving censorship efforts, what hope does the average American have? Walt Disney Corp., show a little backbone. Redeem yourselves in the eyes of a majority of Americans. Kimmel’s “indefinite” suspension can be ended swiftly. Do that, and Disney will be an American legend again. In a good way.
Kerry Dumbaugh
Holyoke