'Where has all the leadership gone?' Former Disney CEO slams decision to suspend Kimmel

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Jimmy Kimmel arrives at the 74th Primetime Emmy Awards held at the Microsoft Theater in Los Angeles, U.S., September 12, 2022. REUTERS/Aude Guerrucci

ABC's recent decision to pull late-night host Jimmy Kimmel's show off the air "indefinitely" is now prompting public outrage even from the former top executive of ABC's parent company.

In a Friday post to his official X account, Michael Eisner — who was the chairman and CEO of the Walt Disney Company for more than two decades — bemoaned the lack of "leadership" at major American institutions, blasting universities along with the corporate world and the legal realm. He also didn't spare President Donald Trump's administration over its threats against TV stations.

"Where has all the leadership gone? If not for university presidents, law firm managing partners, and corporate chief executives standing up against bullies, who then will step up for the first amendment?" Eisner wrote.

"The 'suspending indefinitely' of Jimmy Kimmel immediately after the Chairman of the FCC's aggressive yet hollow threatening of the Disney Company is yet another example of out-of-control intimidation," he continued. "Maybe the Constitution should have said, 'Congress shall make no law abridging the freedom of speech, or of the press, except in one’s political or financial self-interest.'"

"By-the-way, for the record, this ex-CEO finds Jimmy Kimmel very talented and funny," he added.

Eisner's tweet marks the latest instance of high-profile backlash following ABC's suspension of Kimmel's show. That announcement came almost immediately after media conglomerate Nexstar stated it was preempting broadcasts of Jimmy Kimmel Live following his remarks on his Monday show, in which he accused "the MAGA gang" of scrambling to paint far-right activist Charlie Kirk's alleged murder as a leftist in order to "score political points."

Just hours prior to Nexstar's statement, FCC chairman Brendan Carr told far-right podcaster Benny Johnson that he was considering revoking the broadcast licenses of ABC stations that continued to air Kimmel's show, and told stations they could handle things "the easy way or the hard way." Nexstar is currently angling for the FCC to approve its planned $6.2 billion acquisition of competitor Tegna, which would allow it to own TV stations broadcasting to roughly 80 percent of American households.

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