When it comes to the barrage of nonsense coming from the White House, sometimes the best response is not to respond.
Disney has clearly learned its lessons from last year’s media firestorm with Jimmy Kimmel, who was temporarily forced to step down as a late-night show host following threats from FCC Chairman Brendan Carr. Carr continues to weaponize government agencies against Donald Trump’s critics, and his actions have even drawn rebuke from his own party, including Sen. Ted Cruz. Moreover, Trump’s call for Kimmel to be removed from office over the monologue joke sounds especially weak given the president’s often divisive and violent rhetoric.
After all, this is the same president who wrote that he was “glad” that former special counsel Robert Mueller had passed away. He has accused some Democrats of “sedition punishable by death” and regularly refers to his political opponents as “evil” and “the enemy.” He often mocks reporters with terrible names, says awful things about Rob Reiner when the director died, and picks fights with the Pope. And, of course, he sent a blasphemous warning to Iran while threatening to destroy “an entire civilization.”
But Carr didn’t hesitate to follow the orders of his superiors, the First Amendment is abhorrent. His attempt to punish Disney by opening up the company’s broadcast license to “early renewal” negotiations has been denounced as inappropriate by much of the television community (a fairly conservative group of executives, by the way).
“The FCC’s broadcast license renewal process must be based on predictability, fairness, and transparency. These principles are reflected in the license terms established by Congress and later extended. “A media station’s almost unprecedented request for a single company to quickly reapply for a license violates these principles and creates significant uncertainty for all broadcasters,” Curtis LeGate, CEO of the National Association of Broadcasters, said in a statement.
Of course, much of this is a sham, much like the heated podcast appearance in which Kerr blackmailed Kimmel last year. Remember when ABC and its affiliates were threatened with “action” against Kimmel? “We can do this the easy way, or we can do it the hard way,” he ridiculously says, earning a rebuke from Cruise, who is also as shocked as you are. (It turns out he can be on the right side of history sometimes!)
And it’s for the best because of this political arena that Disney has remained largely silent about this latest skirmish. First of all, the Trump administration’s Kimmel pile-on is even more brazen than the last time (when the host’s comments were taken out of context after Charlie Kirk’s death). Mere minutes after the horrifying (and criminal) assassination attempt outside the White House Correspondents’ Dinner, the Trump administration was already using the horrifying incident to campaign for the $400 million White House Ballroom (this time, Trump supporters were demanding that it be paid for with public funds).
And seeing how easily this assassination plot could be twisted to its own ends, the Trump administration seized the opportunity to go after Kimmel, doubling down on a pre-event “widow” joke that centered on the president’s age and the likelihood that the young first lady would outlive him. (And just kidding, Kimmel pointed out this Monday that Trump continues to create himself.)
Carr’s suggestion that the investigation into Disney’s DEI practices surrounding the licensing of eight ABC stations is even more disingenuous and in line with the Trump administration’s anti-diversity and anti-inclusion agenda is spot on. Is there something you don’t like? We denounce the idea that there must be fairness and equity in hiring all people of all backgrounds.
The good news is that any attempt by the government to strip Disney of its broadcasting license will likely take years to make its way through the courts, and some may hope that the baseless reasons behind such a move are revealed and this bet ends in failure. “We believe this record continues to demonstrate our status as a licensee under the Communications Act and the First Amendment, and we are prepared to demonstrate that through appropriate legal channels,” Disney said in a statement on the matter. “We remain focused, as always, on serving our audiences in the local communities in which our stations operate.”
Perhaps the most telling thing about this uproar is that everyone seems to be able to see that Trump and Carr are trying to “Live Jimmy Kimmel!” Off air. Even broadcast groups like Nexstar and Sinclair, which pre-empted Kimmel from mentioning Kirk, are now silent. They know that if they attempt that stunt this time, they will launch into a lively debate about free speech and stir up controversy when it probably doesn’t need to be. In particular, Nexstar’s attempt to buy Tegna Group has been put on hold as countries worry about what would happen if the combined giant of Nexstar and Tegna were to dominate news in several large cities.
As a journalist who has access to executives, I don’t like it when people don’t respond to calls or emails, but Monday somehow made sense. Disney is counting on the news cycle to move quickly (as has always been the case with recent Trump headlines) and didn’t want to stir up conversation for another day while the Trump administration tries to fan the flames. Coincidentally, that night, Disney hosted a “Cheers to TV” Emmy FYC cocktail party, and the executives in attendance reflected on the day they had just spent, gasped, and felt like they had made the right choice.
Meanwhile, Kimmel continues to calmly address this latest controversy, while Disney has wisely remained silent. “It should be pointed out to you and me and all of us as well that Donald Trump is allowed to say whatever he wants, because under the First Amendment, as Americans, we have a right to free speech,” he said in a monologue Monday night. Perhaps it deserves a refresher course at the FCC and the White House.
