Disney Stock Continues Decline on Controversial Jimmy Kimmel Suspension
Jimmy Kimmel Live! will return to TV Tuesday after it was pulled last week following the host's controversial statements.
Quick overview
- Jimmy Kimmel was suspended from his talk show after making controversial comments about political activist Charlie Kirk, leading to public outrage.
- Disney's stock has dropped 0.51% in one day and 3.2% over the week following Kimmel's suspension.
- Kimmel will return to his show on Tuesday after a week off the air, despite some network operators choosing not to air it.
- Disney stated that the suspension was to avoid controversy and that they had discussions with Kimmel before deciding to bring the show back.
Jimmy Kimmel was pulled off his own talk show last week after he made negative comments about recently assassinated political activist Charlie Kirk, and Disney stock has dropped as a result.
Consumers are boycotting Disney products and services in public outrage against the company after Kimmel’s show was pulled from the air. Disney (DIS) stock fell 0.51% in the last day and 3.2% in the week that has passed since Kimmel was suspended from Jimmy Kimmel Live!
The talk show host sparked major controversy by disparaging Kirk’s supporters, speaking ill of Donald Trump and the entire Republican party, and there was immediate public outcry. Disney responded by suspending him from his own show without announcing when or if the show would return. Jimmy Kimmel Live! was simply taken off the air over the last week.
Backlash Against Disney
The Walt Disney Co. may not have expected the massive negative press resulting from cancelling the show. Kimmel supporters primarily from the political left raised accusations of infringement of free speech. They said that Kimmel’s cancellation was a violation of his right to speak freely, while those on the opposite side of the political aisle said that Disney had a right to suspend any of their employees who hurt their public image.
It looks like the outpouring of support for Kimmel has paid off, as he will be returning to his show on Tuesday. That would mean that the show has spent an entire week off the air.
Disney released a statement about the matter, saying that they suspended production on the show in order to avoid controversy and that they believed some of Kimmel’s comments were not timed very well. The statement said that “We have spent the last days having thoughtful conversations with Jimmy, and after those conversations, we reached the decision to return the show on Tuesday.”
However, it should be noted that not all of the network operators will be hosting Kimmel’s show on their channels. These include NexStar and Sinclair, which account for about one fifth of all of the ABC affiliates. NexStar may tentatively resume showing Jimmy Kimmel Live! as they monitor the show moving forward. Sinclair said they would be replacing the show entirely with news programming.
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