Former Disney CEO reveals real reason for Jimmy Kimmel suspension

Nearly a year after ABC suspended Jimmy Kimmel Live! following remarks about the Sept. 10, 2025 assassination of political activist Charlie Kirk, Bob Iger says the decision was not politically motivated. In an interview with the Financial Times published June 20, the former Disney CEO—who led the company during Kimmel’s temporary ouster last September—said Disney viewed the comments as “in bad taste” and “ill-timed and thus insensitive.” ABC had indefinitely stopped airing the show after Kimmel’s Sept. 15 monologue and after FCC chairman Brendan Carr warned the situation was “very, very serious,” suggesting a path to suspension. Kimmel returned Sept. 23, saying he never intended to make light of the murder. The episode fueled debate over censorship and free speech under the Trump administration.