The Mouse That Roared Back: When Corporate Cowardice Becomes a Movement
There’s something deeply unsettling about watching a multinational corporation fold like a cheap suit the moment a government official so much as raises an eyebrow. This whole Jimmy Kimmel situation has me absolutely steaming, and judging by the response online, I’m clearly not alone.
The facts are pretty straightforward. Kimmel made what amounts to a fairly mild observation about the MAGA crowd’s reaction to Charlie Kirk’s death, followed by a joke about Trump’s response to his “friend’s” murder. Nothing groundbreaking, certainly nothing that would have raised eyebrows a decade ago. But apparently, in 2025 America, that’s enough to get you cancelled by government pressure.
FCC Chairman Brendan Carr’s threat was about as subtle as a brick through a window: “We can do this the easy way or the hard way. These companies can find ways to take action on Kimmel, or there is going to be additional work for the FCC ahead.” The subtext couldn’t be clearer - comply or face regulatory consequences. And Disney, with all their billions and market power, rolled over immediately.
What’s particularly galling is watching people try to rationalize this as somehow not being a First Amendment issue because “the government didn’t technically fire him.” That’s like saying it’s not extortion if I just suggest bad things might happen to your business while polishing my baseball bat. The threat was clear, the response was immediate, and the chilling effect on free speech is undeniable.
I’ve been in IT long enough to know how these corporate decisions get made. Someone in a boardroom looked at the potential regulatory headaches, weighed them against the cost of losing a late-night host, and made what they saw as the pragmatic choice. But sometimes pragmatism is just cowardice dressed up in business speak.
The response has been fascinating to watch. People are cancelling Disney+ subscriptions in numbers significant enough to crash the cancellation servers. And it’s not just Americans - I’m seeing reports of cancellations from Canada, the UK, Finland, Iceland. There’s something powerful about that international solidarity, people around the world saying “we won’t support this kind of corporate spinelessness.”
Someone pointed out that the real target should be Nexstar Media Group, who apparently pushed Disney into this decision to protect their own merger prospects. That’s probably true from a strategic standpoint, but I think there’s value in the broader Disney boycott as well. When you’re dealing with these massive conglomerates, sometimes you need to hit them where it hurts most - their most visible consumer brands.
The comparison to Target keeps coming up, and it’s apt. These companies seem to think they can navigate political controversies by appeasing the loudest voices, not realizing that principled opposition often runs deeper and lasts longer than outrage-driven campaigns. Target found that out the hard way, and Disney might be about to learn the same lesson.
What really gets me is the precedent this sets. Today it’s a late-night comedian making jokes about politicians. Tomorrow it could be news anchors reporting inconvenient facts, or documentary filmmakers exploring sensitive topics. Once you establish that government officials can pressure private companies to silence voices they don’t like, where does it end?
The silver lining in all this is watching people actually put their money where their mouth is. Too often we see social media outrage that fades without any real consequences. But this feels different. When a Disney superfan with decades of loyalty cancels their subscription and annual pass over a matter of principle, that sends a message that boardroom spreadsheets can understand.
This isn’t just about Jimmy Kimmel or even Disney. It’s about whether we’re going to let authoritarian tactics become normalized in the name of business pragmatism. The international response gives me hope that there are still enough people who understand what’s at stake here. Sometimes the most powerful thing you can do is simply refuse to pay for your own oppression.
The mouse might have roared back at government pressure once upon a time. Today’s Disney clearly lacks that courage. But maybe, just maybe, the collective roar of cancelled subscriptions will remind them what their values are supposed to be.