Kimmel pushes back on Trump calls for his firing, in first major test for Disney’s new CEO
CNN • • general
Key Points:
- Late-night host Jimmy Kimmel defended Americans' right to free speech after a joke about First Lady Melania Trump sparked calls from the White House and President Trump for ABC to fire him.
- Kimmel's joke, made last Thursday, was reinterpreted by Trump and allies as a call to violence following a shooting outside the White House Correspondents’ Dinner, though Kimmel denied any violent intent.
- Disney CEO Josh D’Amaro, facing his first major test with the Trump administration, has not indicated any plans to fire Kimmel, and the show continued as usual amid the controversy.
- The situation echoes a similar incident last September when ABC briefly suspended Kimmel’s show under pressure but reinstated it amid backlash from viewers and affiliates.
- Kimmel, a vocal critic of President Trump, maintains that discussing politics is unavoidable and important, emphasizing the protection of free speech under the First Amendment.
