‘The View’ Weighs In After ABC’s Jimmy Kimmel Shake-Up Leaves Fans Furious
For The Walt Disney Company, the past several days have been some of the most turbulent in recent memory. From mounting backlash online to visible protests outside its headquarters, the media giant has been facing pressure on multiple fronts after suspending Jimmy Kimmel Live! Its decision to pull one of ABC’s most recognizable late-night programs triggered a series of events that left audiences, celebrities, and even politicians weighing in.
What followed was a week of headlines dominated by streaming cancellations, stock market hits, and demands for boycotts from high-profile Disney stars. Even as legal teams worked behind the scenes to negotiate outcomes, the public was left watching as the controversy unfolded.
Related: Disney Stock Takes a Hit as Kimmel Suspension Sparks Streaming Chaos
At the same time, one of ABC’s most popular daytime talk shows noticeably avoided the subject—until now.
Disney’s choice to suspend Jimmy Kimmel Live! came after NexStar Media and Sinclair Broadcasting said they would not carry the program on their stations following Mr. Kimmel’s comments about Charlie Kirk and Donald Trump.
The move prompted immediate fallout, with Disney+ cancellations surging to the point that the service reportedly crashed. Stock prices dropped, and fans gathered outside Disney’s Burbank lot in protest.
Related: The Business Behind Disney Shelving Jimmy Kimmel
While Jimmy Kimmel and his lawyers entered into discussions with Disney about how the show could return, Sinclair Broadcasting made it clear there would be conditions. Reports suggested that Kimmel would need to meet a set of demands before his program could be broadcast again.
But Kimmel reportedly pushed back, saying he would not apologize for remarks that were being “mischaracterized.” He further told Disney that he would not “kowtow to the outrage.”
Meanwhile, the hosts of The View — a show known for tackling tough subjects — remained uncharacteristically quiet for two episodes. That silence ended when Whoopi Goldberg finally addressed the issue on air, making it clear the panel would not shy away from the conversation.
Related: Backlash Brewing After Bob Iger Allegedly Tried to Silence ‘The View’ Hosts
She opened the segment by saying, “No one silences us.”
Goldberg explained that the co-hosts had chosen to wait before making statements, hoping to see if Kimmel would address the controversy himself. She told the audience:
Did y’all really think we weren’t going to talk about Jimmy Kimmel? I mean, have you watched the show over the last 29 seasons? No one silences us.
When the news broke last week about Jimmy Kimmel’s suspension, we took a breath to see if Jimmy was going to say anything about it first. You can not like a show and it can go off the air. Someone can say something they shouldn’t and get taken off the air. But the government cannot apply pressure to force someone to be silenced.
Her comments were soon joined by other co-hosts, including Anna Navarro and Alyssa Farah Griffin, who both criticized the Federal Communications Commission for threatening Disney in the wake of the controversy.
Navarro, in particular, was direct in her remarks:
“I don’t understand how in this country, where the First Amendment was made to the Constitution to guarantee freedom of the press and freedom of speech, how the government itself is using its weight and power to bully and scare people into silence.”
Goldberg emphasized that The View had always supported freedom of speech, regardless of public opinion.
“We talk about freedom of speech a lot because we are always in somebody’s mess because somebody has decided that we have said something that’s offensive. But we fight for everybody’s right to have freedom of speech because it means my speech is free, it means your speech is free.”
The controversy only grew more complex when FCC head Brendan Carr suggested he might investigate The View under the Equal Opportunity Rule, a regulation typically tied to “bona fide newscasts” but occasionally applied to talk shows. Despite the looming threat, the hosts did not back down, maintaining their stance against government involvement in broadcast content.
Then, in a dramatic turn, Disney announced on September 22 that Jimmy Kimmel Live! would be returning to its late-night slot beginning September 23. The company explained its reasoning, stating the suspension had stemmed from what it considered “ill-timed” comments. Following “thoughtful conversations with Jimmy,” Disney said the decision was made to lift the suspension.
Do you think it was brave for the women of The View to speak out on Mr. Kimmel’s suspension, despite the threat of an investigation? Do you think a show should be suspended because its host says something some people do not like? Do you think Disney should have ever canceled Jimmy Kimmel Live!? Let us know your thoughts on this controversial issue in the comments!
