As the fallout from the Jimmy Kimmel cancellation continues, Last Week Tonight host John Oliver joined the chorus of Disney detractors on the new episode of his HBO show. On September 17, Kimmel was pulled from ABC indefinitely after FCC Chairman Brendan Carr threatened retaliation against the show and network due to the host’s comments about Charlie Kirk’s assassination.
Two major broadcasting station groups, Nexstar and Sinclair, announced their intentions to not air Kimmel first, prompting ABC to pull the host. Kimmel’s suspension immediately sparked backlash, with a slew of figures across Washington, DC and Hollywood decrying the move as an attack on free speech.
In the days after the announcement, Late Night hosts like Jimmy Fallon and Jon Stewart voiced their support for Kimmel while others sparked calls for a boycott against Disney. Lost creator Damon Lindelof pledged not to work for the company until the situation was rectified. And, just this weekend, a slew of performers pulled out of the premiere event of ABC News documentary Lilith Fair after the red carpet was cancelled.
On Sunday, Oliver took to the air to rail against Disney, ABC, Bob Iger, and Donald Trump. Oliver addressed Iger directly at one point, pointing out how history will remember this incident and those who played a part in it:
Hi there, Bob. We haven’t met, but you probably know me as America’s third favorite Zazu [in Lion King]. Congratulations on recasting that role, by the way. It was a fun thing to learn about after the fact. Anyway, one day, the history of the time we’re living through is going to be written, and when it is, I’m not sure it’s those in this administration who are even going to come off the worst. Now don’t get me wrong, they’re going to come off terribly. But 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.
Oliver continued, reflecting on the impact of the second Donald Trump administration and how acquiescing to the increasingly terrifying demands of those in charge will have far-reaching consequences:
If we’ve learned nothing else from this administration’s second term so far, and I don’t think we have, is 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. They’ve literally said that openly. After Kimmel’s suspension, Trump posted, “That leaves Jimmy and Seth, two total losers on fake news NBC. Their ratings are also horrible. Do it, NBC.” And [FCC chairman] Carr hinted that The View might be next. The fucking View!
Look, at some point you’re going to have to draw a line. 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 keywords they don’t tend to teach you in business school. Not “OK, you’re the boss.” Not “Whatever you say goes.” But instead, the only phrase that can genuinely make a weak bully go away. And that is, “Fuck you, make me.”
More to come…