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Disney CEO faces first Trump test as President and Melania ... - Mint
New Disney chief Josh D'Amaro, barely six weeks into the role, is navigating his first major political crisis. US President Donald Trump and First Lady Melania Trump publicly called on ABC to dismiss late-night host Jimmy Kimmel after a joke gained new significance following Saturday's shooting at the White House Correspondents' Dinner (WHCD).New Disney CEO Thrust Into Political Firestorm Over Kimmel ControversyD'Amaro, who took over from Bob Iger, now faces mounting pressure as the Trump administration demands Kimmel's removal from ABC's airwaves.D'Amaro, who previously led Disney's theme parks division and now oversees the company's broadcast networks, including ABC, faces a controversy that has drawn in the White House, pro-Trump media and influential affiliate station owners.There is no indication that Disney is considering dismissing Kimmel. Nevertheless, the coordinated pressure campaign has placed D'Amaro in a deeply uncomfortable position at the outset of his tenure.What Kimmel Said and Why It Became Explosive After WHCD ShootingThe controversy stems from a segment on Kimmel's programme on the Thursday before the Correspondents' Dinner, in which he staged a mock version of the event since the dinner had booked mentalist Oz Pearlman rather than a comedian as its entertainer.During the bit, Kimmel imagined addressing the First Lady directly. "Mrs. Trump, you have a glow like an expectant widow," he said, in an apparent reference to the president's age and health. The line was one of several barbs directed at Trump and his family during the segment.Kimmel also performed an impression involving convicted sex offender Jeffrey Epstein introducing Melania to her future husband, a reference likely to have stung, given that the First Lady had recently held a surprise press appearance to deny rumours connecting Epstein to their introduction.The "expectant widow" line took on a different dimension after Saturday evening, when a gunman opened fire outside the ballroom at the Washington Hilton during the Correspondents' Dinner.The alleged gunman, Cole Allen, was charged on Monday with attempting to assassinate the president. Melania dove under a table during the incident, and the president later described it as "a rather traumatic experience" for her.On Sunday, speaking on 60 Minutes, Trump described the moment he and his wife reacted to the shooting. "Well, my thought was, 'You know, I've been through this before a couple of times,' and she has not, to this ex...
Trump-Kimmel Feud Becomes First Major Test for Disney's New CEO ...
Getty Images 2026-04-28T11:07:52.077Z This post originally appeared in the Business Insider Today newsletter. You can sign up for Business Insider's daily newsletter here. Ali-Frazier. Tyson-Holyfield. Trump-Kimmel. Historic fights typically get a rematch, so it's fitting that the president and the comedian are squaring off again.Melania Trump kicked things off this time. The first lady criticized the late-night host for joking that she "had a glow like an expectant widow." Kimmel's joke came on Thursday, days before the shooting at the White House Correspondents' Dinner."Kimmel's hateful and violent rhetoric is intended to divide our country," Melania Trump wrote on X on Monday morning.(My colleague Peter Kafka highlighted the first lady's decision to use X to go after Kimmel when her husband owns a rival social-media platform. She also posted there, but the engagement on Truth Social wasn't nearly as strong.)Trump jumped in on the action, calling on Disney and ABC to "immediately fire" Kimmel.In the first minute of his show on Monday, Kimmel doubled down on the joke.Trump-Kimmel II has most of the same main characters, with one notable exception.The reignited beef is the first big test for new Disney CEO Josh D'Amaro. It's also in a corner of the business that's arguably his biggest blind spot. A longtime parks guru, D'Amaro has a lot less experience dealing with the Hollywood side of things.Notably, his former competition could be his biggest asset. Disney executive Dana Walden, who was vying with D'Amaro for former CEO Bob Iger's job, leads the company's entertainment segment. Walden and Iger decided to briefly pull Kimmel off the air last year.Even if D'Amaro wants to steer clear of the drama, he might not have a choice. Last time it was two major station owners — Sinclair and Nexstar — that took "Jimmy Kimmel Live!" off their ABC affiliate stations, ratcheting up the beef.
The Mouse Under Fire: Trump Demands Disney CEO Josh D'Amaro Axe Jimmy ...
The long-simmering war between the White House and late-night television has reached a boiling point. Following a weekend of chaos and a harrowing security breach at the White House Correspondents' Dinner (WHCD), President Donald Trump has officially issued a direct ultimatum to The Walt Disney Company and its newly minted CEO, Josh D'Amaro: fire Jimmy Kimmel immediately.
Disney CEO faces his first big Trump test as Jimmy Kimmel prepares to ...
The pressure - which is also coming from President Donald Trump and a host of his allies - has created a headache for new Disney CEO Josh D'Amaro, who succeeded Bob Iger just six weeks ago ...
