Rattled supporters of Jimmy Kimmel are planning to roll out billboards near his network’s corporate headquarters after President Trump demanded that ABC ax the late-night host over his “hateful” joke aimed at the president and first lady.
Lefty advocacy group MoveOn is targeting Disney and ABC offices in the Los Angeles area with the mobile billboards, urging new Disney CEO Josh D’Amaro to “protect free speech” and “stand firm against FCC Censorship.”
MoveOn said the billboards will “circulate around Disney Headquarters, Disney-ABC Television Group, ABC 7, and Disney’s corporate office in Burbank, CA,” WDWNT reported.
The campaign comes after Trump called on ABC to fire Kimmel after the host referred to First Lady Melania Trump as “an expectant widow,” two days before an attempted assassin opened fire outside the White House Correspondents’ Association Dinner in Washington, D.C.
The Federal Communications Commission opened an investigation into ABC’s TV licenses after Kimmel’s remarks.
In response, nervous MoveOn officials decided to take to the streets with their defense of Kimmel, who has been openly hostile to the president.
“Don’t cave to government censorship. Keep Jimmy Kimmel on-air!” one of the billboards states, featuring an image of Trump with a black bar over his eyes.
A second shows an image of Kimmel with the message: “Nearly 3 out of 4 Americans believe that the First Amendment should protect private speakers.”
On April 23, Kimmel mocked the White House Correspondents’ Dinner event on his show, giving his own speech that said: “Our first lady, Melania, is here. Look at Melania, so beautiful. Mrs. Trump, you have a glow like an expectant widow.”
After the attempted assassination Saturday night, the first lady blasted Kimmel as a “coward” who “hides behind ABC because he knows the network will keep running cover to protect him.”
“Enough is enough,” she added. “It is time for ABC to take a stand. How many times will ABC’s leadership enable Kimmel’s atrocious behavior at the expense of our community?”
President Trump followed his wife, writing in a post on Truth Social: “Jimmy Kimmel should be immediately fired by Disney and ABC” and wrote that the host “is in no way funny” based on his ratings.
On Thursday night, MoveOn projected anti-censorship messages onto the FCC’s headquarters in Washington, D.C.
“This is a clear attack on the First Amendment and a political stunt designed to intimidate critics, retaliate against a comedian practicing free speech through satire, and send a message to anyone who dares to speak out,” MoveOn Civic Action Chief Communications Officer Joel Payne said.
FCC Chairman Brendan Carr hit back at claims about the timing of the agency’s investigation, saying the decision to order an early license review for Disney’s ABC stations is about the company’s diversity, equity and inclusion initiatives — not Trump’s battle with Kimmel.
Trump’s call for Kimmel to be canned come after a similar controversy last year, when the host was taken off the air in September following backlash to his comments about slain conservative activist Charlie Kirk.
The California Post contacted MoveOn and Disney for comment.