Subj : 'Hit them where it hurts'
To : All
From : Mike Powell
Date : Sat Sep 20 2025 09:11 am
[I am stuck between "Kimmel is unfunny and probably pushed the envelope
too far this time" vs. the right to free speach and the dangerous precident
that his suspension sets, and the fact that no one should be looking to
late-night entertainers for "news."]
'Hit them where it hurts': Angry Disney+ and Hulu users are closing their
accounts in their droves as Jimmy Kimmel cancellation saga rumbles on
Date:
Fri, 19 Sep 2025 15:04:51 +0000
Description:
Disney+ and Hulu are facing a mass exodus of users as furious fans and
Hollywood creatives hit out over Jimmy Kimmel's suspension.
FULL STORY
Disney is facing a major backlash from Disney+ and Hulu users over the
indefinite suspension of Jimmy Kimmel Live! and its host.
In recent days, swathes of the entertainment behemoth's fanbase have taken to
social media to express their disgust over Disney's handling of the
situation. And, in a bid to make the Hollywood institution sit up and take
notice, many have not only confirmed they've cancelled their subscriptions to
two of the world's best streaming services , but have called on others to do
the same.
Kimmel, whose late-night talk show has run for nearly 24 seasons since its
January 2003 debut, was pulled off the air on Monday, September 15 for
comments he made about political activist Charlie Kirk. The outspoken
conservative was assassinated during an event at Utah Valley University on
September 10.
In the wake of Kimmel's comments, Brendan Carr, chair of the Federal
Communications Commission (FCC), threatened that ABC would face regulatory
consequences if it didn't act. In the hours that followed Carr's warning, two
of ABC's largest affiliates in Nexstar and Sinclair confirmed that they'd
stop broadcasting Kimmel's show. By the evening of September 15, ABC
announced that Kimmel's hosting privileges had been "indefinitely" removed.
Disney+ users have already pulled the plug on their accounts over the Kimmel
saga
Amid the wider political and cultural fallout around the freedom of the
press, and of free speech itself, numerous Hollywood creatives have chastised
Disney, ABC, Nexstar, and Sinclair for appearing to bend the knee to the FCC
and, by proxy, the Trump administration.
Per The Washington Post , a host of actors, directors, and producers have
expressed outrage over the suspension of Kimmel and his show. Going one step
further, Lost co-creator Damon Lindelof took to Instagram on Thursday,
September 18 (as reported by The Wrap ) to state he wouldn't work for Disney
or its subsidiaries again until Kimmel was reinstated.
Tatiana Maslany, star of Marvel TV show She-Hulk: Attorney at Law , which
aired exclusively on Disney+ in mid-2022, though, has arguably been the most
vocal critic. Posting on her Instagram story on Thursday (thanks to X/Twitter
for the screenshot), Maslany called on her 500,000 followers to boycott
Disney-owned streaming platforms in a bid to force the entertainment giant to
walk back its decision.
And that's what some of Maslany's fans, plus many other furious subscribers,
have done since the saga began.
Threads on Reddit pages, such as r/television and r/entertainment these are
just two of numerous threads on these sub-Reddits are littered with comments
from irate users who've said they've closed their accounts or plan on
cancelling their subscriptions in the near future. That includes people who
were signed up to Disney+ and Hulu, plus other services that require a
subscription to use, such as National Geographic, ESPN, and FX Now.
Some are even going as far as to say they'll boycott other Disney-owned
properties, too, including Disneyland resorts, Disney Cruise Liners, and the
company's merchandise.
Reddit isn't the only place people are threatening to boycott Disney in the
immediate and long term, either. Users on X/Twitter, Instagram, and the
ResetEra forums are doing exactly that.
Understandably, the big question is: will any of this work?
At the last count in June, Disney's combined subscriber figure for Disney+
and Hulu sat at 183 million. Obvious as it is to say, that's a huge number
so, unless tens of millions of users close their accounts, it's unlikely that
this boycott will significantly impact Disney's revenue streams.
Per a September 18 report by Bloomberg , Disney executives are due to meet
Kimmel to discuss his and his show's futures in the near future. If a
compromise can't be reached, it's possible that more subscribers could walk
away from Disney+ and its sibling platforms. Whether it'll be a big enough
number to make Disney sit up and take notice, though, remains to be seen.
======================================================================
Link to news story:
https://www.techradar.com/streaming/disney-plus/hit-them-where-it-hurts-angry-
disney-and-hulu-users-are-closing-their-accounts-in-their-droves-as-jimmy-kimm
el-cancellation-saga-rumbles-on
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