John Oliver said that “history will remember the cowards” in a blistering takedown of Disney CEO Bob Iger following Jimmy Kimmel’s indefinite suspension from ABC.
Last week, Jimmy Kimmel Live! was taken off the air after the host made controversial remarks about the political response to the arrest of Tyler Robinson, the suspected gunman behind the shooting of conservative activist Charlie Kirk. Donald Trump celebrated Kimmel’s axing, calling it “Great News for America.”
Oliver then used the majority of his Last Week Tonight show to address the Kimmel situation, criticising broadcasters Nexstar and Sinclair for pandering to the demands of the Trump-appointed chair of the FCC (Federal Communications Commisson) Brendan Carr, who had branded Kimmel’s comments “truly sick.”
“The sequence of events here could not be clearer, because it was all done in plain view,” Oliver said. “Carr leaned on broadcasters to take down Kimmel. They did that, sometimes even directly citing Carr while doing so, and then Carr celebrated with a fun GIF. That sure seems like a pretty clear case of the government pressuring companies to censor speech. And it’s not like Trump is even trying to hide it.”
Oliver then moved his attention to Iger, in light of ABC being owned by Disney. Addressing the CEO of the entertainment conglomerate, Oliver referenced the fact that he had voiced the role of Zazu in the 2019 Lion King remake, but was not invited back for last year’s prequel Mufasa: The Lion King, with Preston Nyman taking the part instead.
“Congratulations on recasting that role, by the way. It was a fun thing to learn about after the fact,” the comedian joked.
Turning his attention to Kimmel, Oliver said that “history is also going to remember the cowards who definitely knew better but still let things happen, whether it was for money, convenience or just comfort. I know this is something of a tough sell, and it can be a bit of anathema to risk-averse business leaders.”
“But I will say this,” he added. “If we’ve learnt nothing else from this administration’s second term so far – and I don’t think we have – it’s that giving the bully your lunch money doesn’t make him go away. It just makes him come back hungrier each time. They are never going to stop.”
Oliver then highlighted that Trump had also suggested that Jimmy Fallon and Seth Meyers’ late-night shows could be at risk, while Carr said it was “worthwhile” to investigate Whoopi Goldberg-fronted series The View.
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“Look, at some point you’re going to have to draw a line,” Oliver continued. “So I’d argue, why not draw it right here? And when they come to you with stupid ridiculous demands, picking fights that you know you could win in court instead of rolling over, why not stand up and use four key words they don’t tend to teach you in business school?
“Not ‘OK, you’re the boss.’ Not ‘Whatever you say goes,’” said Oliver. “But instead, the only phrase that can genuinely make a weak bully go away. And that is, ‘F*** you, make me.’”
The Independent has contacted Iger’s representatives for comment.
Kimmel landed himself in hot water when he said: “We had some new lows over the weekend with the MAGA gang desperately trying to characterize this kid who murdered Charlie Kirk as anything other than one of them, and [doing] everything they can to score political points from it.”
Kimmel also used the subject to mock Trump, showing a viral clip in which the US president discussed White House renovations when asked how he was faring in the wake of Kirk’s death.
“On Friday, the White House flew the flags at half staff, which got some criticism, but on a human level, you can see how hard the president is taking this,” Kimmel said.
