Ex-Disney boss Michael Eisner appeared to take a thinly veiled swipe his successor Bob Iger on Friday — ripping the Mouse House’s ABC network over its decision to sideline late-night host Jimmy Kimmel under pressure from the Trump administration.
Eisner, who was Disney’s CEO for more than two decades before his acrimonious exit in 2005, didn’t name Iger specifically as he ripped ABC for yielding to “out-of-control intimidation” by FCC Chairman Brendan Carr.
Nevertheless, he singled out Carr’s threats over a controversial Kimmel monologue as “hollow,” even as he raised questions about the “political or financial self-interest” of executives who bent to Carr’s will.
“Where has all the leadership gone?” Eisner wrote on X.
“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.
He added that “suspending indefinitely” of 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.”
“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’,” Eisner wrote.
Eisner was succeeded as CEO by Iger, who along with his No. 2, Dana Walden, made the decision to pull the plug on “Jimmy Kimmel Live!” indefinitely following outrage over Kimmel’s false statements linking Charlie Kirk’s alleged killer to the MAGA movement.
Iger and Eisner have a long, uneasy history dating back to Disney’s turbulent succession fight in the early 2000s.
Eisner led Disney from 1984 to 2005, steering it through a creative renaissance before his reign ended in turmoil. A shareholder revolt stripped him of the chairmanship in 2004, paving the way for his departure.
Iger, then president, rose amid that crisis to become CEO in 2005.
Though Eisner elevated him years earlier, the transition was bitter. Roy E. Disney and fellow critic Stanley Gold accused Eisner of mishandling succession and pushing out rivals.
Iger quickly moved to distance himself from Eisner’s centralized style, decentralizing management and mending fences with creative partners. He famously repaired relations with Steve Jobs, leading to Disney’s 2006 purchase of Pixar.
Later came deals for Marvel, Lucasfilm and 21st Century Fox.
The two men have never been close. Analysts describe their relationship as professional but strained, with Eisner still bristling at how the board forced him out and Iger defining his tenure by contrast.
In recent years, Eisner occasionally backed Iger in public, including during a shareholder proxy fight last year. But his Kimmel comments marked a rare, explicit criticism of Iger’s handling of a high-stakes controversy.
Multiple outlets reported Iger and Walden personally made the call this week to sideline Kimmel after he sparked outrage with remarks about the political affiliation of the man accused of killing conservative activist Charlie Kirk.
ABC told affiliates the program would be “preempted indefinitely.”
The decision followed an unusually blunt warning from FCC Chair Brendan Carr, who suggested on a podcast that Disney faced “additional work with the FCC” if it did not “take action” against Kimmel. Carr later said affiliates were free to drop the show if they deemed it contrary to the public interest.
Eisner may have found an unlikely ally in Sen. Ted Cruz (R-Texas), who said on Friday that Carr’s comments tied to Kimmel were more fitting for a mob boss.
Cruz claimed Carr had threatened ABC’s broadcast license in response to Kimmel’s comments about the death of Kirk.
“He says, ‘We can do this the easy way, or we can do this the hard way,’” Cruz said on his “Verdict with Ted Cruz” podcast.
“And I gotta say, that’s right out of Goodfellas,” the senator added, invoking the mob classic.
Nexstar, which owns dozens of ABC stations, quickly announced it would preempt Kimmel. Sinclair signaled it would not carry the program absent an apology. The affiliate revolt left Disney facing the prospect of losing wide swaths of its late-night audience.
Inside Disney, executives reviewed Kimmel’s planned monologue for Wednesday night and concluded it could escalate the situation, according to published reports.
Kimmel refused to retract or apologize, sources said.
Iger and Walden then ordered the show pulled, citing staff safety, affiliate relationships and advertiser concerns. “Jimmy Kimmel Live!” was replaced by reruns and specials.
Disney has offered no timetable for reinstating Kimmel. Insiders told Bloomberg News that negotiations continue, with executives waiting to see whether political anger cools before deciding on his return.
Kimmel, still under contract, has not commented publicly beyond social media posts defending his monologues. His staff has been told the hiatus could last weeks or longer.
The Post has sought comment from the Walt Disney Company, Iger and the FCC.
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