As Disney executives discuss the future of Jimmy Kimmel and his indefinitely cancelled show, one notable figure who has come out to speak against the suspension is none other than the 44th President, Barack Obama. The former political leader took to X/Twitter to condemn the actions of ABC and Disney for caving into the Trump administration’s wishes to remove Kimmel from the platform. He claims that ‘President Trump and friends’ have achieved a “new and dangerous level” of going about silencing any voice opposing their desired narrative.
Obama went on to say that this is what the “First Amendment was designed to prevent.” And instead of opposing the government and promoting free speech, the media companies are giving in to pressure and threats made by the current administration. Of course, what he is saying is correct, and the fact that so many public and private organizations are bending the knee to the President’s wishes is not right. Naturally, many are on Obama’s side, saying that Jimmy Kimmel’s suspension is indeed uncalled for and unfair, but several online commenters are also saying that even Obama is a little late to the show for this.
One online user points out how Obama has shown up at speeches and events, but he hasn’t really demonstrated any substantial semblance of fighting power to make a difference since he left office. And even now, his post on X is “not gonna cut it.” Another adds that “he’s not wrong. But actions like this are purely symbolic at this point, and quite frankly, too little too late.” A third commenter on X remarked that “it was a lousy show anyway.” Several others mentioned the hypocrisy of how Tucker Carlson’s firing didn’t have the same sort of outrage from the Left.
Still, whether Obama should have a say in this situation or not shouldn’t really be the focus. As one Redditor puts it: “Even at its peak, cancel culture never had the full backing of a hostile executive branch, judicial branch, FCC and law enforcement.” In other words, it’s not about the Left or Right always wanting to use martyrs or scapegoats to get an upper hand, as that has always been the case. It’s the fact that a President has actively called for an established late-night host to be cancelled, and Jimmy Kimmel’s company followed suit. Whether the show was “lousy” doesn’t matter when the government holds this much power over the media, as Obama expresses.
A handful of commenters opposing Kimmel’s suspension have already claimed they’ve cancelled their subscriptions to Disney. It’s not much, but it’s honest work for what the average citizen can do besides protesting.
