• GET OUR DAILY NEWSLETTER!
  • The Right Wing
  • Religious right
  • GO AD FREE!
  • MAKE A ONE-TIME DONATION
  • GET OUR DAILY NEWSLETTER!
  • The Right Wing
  • Religious right
  • GO AD FREE!
  • MAKE A ONE-TIME DONATION
  1. Home
  2. / Home

'Perfect lesson': Attorney reveals 5 actions Americans took that made Disney reject Trump

Carl Gibson
8h

Former CNN host Jim Acosta and attorney Norm Eisen on Substack on September 22, 2025 (Image: Screengrab via Substack / YouTube)

Disney's abrupt announcement that it was reversing its suspension of late night comedian Jimmy Kimmel's show came in response to Americans doing just a handful of specific things, according to attorney Norm Eisen.

In a Monday appearance on former CNN host Jim Acosta's Substack show, Eisen celebrated Disney's statement that Kimmel would be returning to his show Tuesday night. He chalked the decision up to Americans using what he called the "five P's" in an immediate and effective manner to force Disney's hand.

According to Eisen, Americans that were upset about the sudden preempting of Kimmel's show (which was attributed to comments Kimmel made about the Republican response to MAGA activist Charlie Kirk's death) made it impossible for Disney to stand by the Trump administration in five particular ways: Legal proceedings, popular protests, polls, the press and political leadership.

Eisen's first point about legal proceedings never got a chance to play out, though a Newsweek analysis found that Kimmel may have had grounds to sue on the basis that FCC chair Brendan Carr made a coercive threat against broadcasters who continued to air his show. However, his argument that popular protests drove action may have merit, given that Kimmel's suspension brought out Americans into the streets on both coasts over the weekend.

The attorney further pointed out that the Trump administration has been taking a beating in recent special elections, noting that Democrats have either won or overperformed polling expectations in 42 of 43 special elections just this year, according to the Democratic National Committee. Eisen also pointed out that both traditional and independent media had been doggedly reporting on the Kimmel's suspension and the FCC's actions leading up to it, helping to spread awareness among the American public. And he concluded by saying there was enough political leadership on the part of Democrats to result in Disney switching gears and bringing Kimmel back less than a week after suspending him.

"A lot of people got really down in the dumps and thought, OK, this is it. We're backsliding, the First Amendment is getting torched," Eisen said. "But you cannot count out the American people and you cannot count out the idea of collective action. I mean, that to me is the big takeaway from this."

"It's a small world after all, you might say Norm," Acosta said. "And to me, that is the perfect lesson to be taken away from all of this. This really was like a shot heard around the world."

Watch the segment below:

- YouTubewww.youtube.com

From Your Site Articles
  • 'Where has all the leadership gone?' Former Disney CEO slams decision to suspend Kimmel ›
  • 'Villainous cretin': Ex-GOP strategist slams 'coward' Disney CEO for bending knee to Trump ›
  • 'We have sunk so low': Walt Disney heir slams 'sociopath' and 'violent' bully Donald Trump ›
Related Articles Around the Web
  • Dear Disney: don't cave to Trump. We need you to shape dreams for ... ›
  • Disney's Kimmel suspension shows Trump's increasing grip over ... ›
  • Trump's FCC commissioner opens investigation into Walt Disney Co ... ›

Alternet

All Rights Reserved

View Non-AMP Version