Disney’s handling of Jimmy Kimmel controversy highlights big challenges for Bob Iger’s successor

• Jimmy Kimmel’s comments about the Charlie Kirk shooting sparked a crisis for the Walt Disney Co. after prominent conservatives blasted his remarks, which came five days after the tragedy.
• Disney temporarily suspended Kimmel’s show amid pressure from Trump and the FCC, then reversed course after widespread backlash over free speech concerns.
• The controversy highlights challenges facing Disney’s next CEO as Bob Iger retires in 2026, with four internal candidates competing for the top job.

A 10-second bit by ABC comedian Jimmy Kimmel plunged Walt Disney Co. into a full-blown crisis that rippled across America.

President Trump, the Federal Communications Commission chief and others were angered this month over Kimmel’s remarks about the Charlie Kirk shooting, which they said had suggested the suspect was a “Make America Great Again” Republican. Kimmel asserted Trump supporters were “trying to score political points” from the tragedy.

TV station groups pulled the program and Disney benched the comedian, sparking a bigger backlash. Protesters lit into the Mouse House for seemingly kowtowing to the Trump administration, consumers canceled Disney+ and Hulu subscriptions and more than 400 celebrities, including Tom Hanks, Jamie Lee Curtis and Lin-Manuel Miranda, signed a letter calling for a defense of free speech. Some investors bailed, briefly erasing nearly $4 billion in corporate market value.

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