Michael Eisner Alberto Rodriguez/Sportico/Getty Images Share on Facebook Share on X Share to Flipboard Send an Email Show additional share options Share on LinkedIn Share on Pinterest Share on Reddit Share on Tumblr Share on Whats App Print the Article Post a Comment Former Disney CEO Michael Eisner appeared to take aim at Bob Iger and the Disney brass Friday as he railed against the decision to suspend Jimmy Kimmel. "Where has all the leadership gone? 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 in a post on X on Friday. Eisner called the decision to suspend Kimmel's show "yet another example of out-of-control intimidation." Related Stories News Podcast Bros Andrew Schulz, Tim Dillon, Tom Segura Voice Support for Kimmel. But Joe Rogan Silent TV Margo Price Changed Song Lyrics to Rip "Fascists" on What Could Be the Final 'Jimmy Kimmel Live!' He wrote, "The 'suspending indefinitely' of Jimmy 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 added, "By-the-way, for the record, this ex-CEO finds Jimmy Kimmel very talented and funny." Eisner ran Disney from 1984 to 2005, a period that saw the so-called "Disney renaissance," when animated musicals like Beauty and the Beast, The Little Mermaid and The Lion King made a significant cultural impact and reigned at the box office. But Eisner famously was forced out of the company in a shareholder rebellion that cleared the way for Iger's leadership following a colorful and tempestuous final few years at the top that were chronicled in books like DisneyWar and The Keys to the Kingdom: How Michael Eisner Lost His Grip. For a time, Eisner was synonymous with the Disney brand - he once even hosted The Wonderful World of Disney show - and his criticism adds to the mounting unrest over Disney's decision to suspend Kimmel over remarks made about the shooting of right-wing activist Charlie Kirk. Several politicians and industry figures have spoken out in protest. And on Thursday Hollywood union members protested in front of the main gate to the Walt Disney Studios in Burbank, pushing back against what they saw as an infringement on free expression. THR Newsletters Sign up for THR news straight to your inbox every day Subscribe Sign Up Rachel Bloom Rachel Bloom Set to Host 2025 Clio Entertainment Awards (Exclusive) THR, Esq Trump's Attack on ABC Is Illegal. It Might Not Matter Teamsters Hollywood Teamsters React to Jimmy Kimmel Suspension, Rail Against Corporate Consolidation Writers Guild of America Tom Fontana Elected President of the Writers Guild East Writers Guild of America Disbelief and Anger at Protest Against Disney and ABC for Suspending Jimmy Kimmel: "They Have to Take a Stand" Stephen Colbert Shari Redstone Says Late Night TV Financially "Not Viable," Bari Weiss Would Be "Good Voice" at CBS News Rachel Bloom Rachel Bloom Set to Host 2025 Clio Entertainment Awards (Exclusive) THR, Esq Trump's Attack on ABC Is Illegal. It Might Not Matter Teamsters Hollywood Teamsters React to Jimmy Kimmel Suspension, Rail Against Corporate Consolidation Writers Guild of America Tom Fontana Elected President of the Writers Guild East Writers Guild of America Disbelief and Anger at Protest Against Disney and ABC for Suspending Jimmy Kimmel: "They Have to Take a Stand" Stephen Colbert Shari Redstone Says Late Night TV Financially "Not Viable," Bari Weiss Would Be "Good Voice" at CBS News