Lawyers representing labor and press groups say they may sue if Disney does not comply within five days.
Disney is under pressure from shareholders to disclose how it came to its decision to suspend Jimmy Kimmel’s late-night show in response to public backlash over the host’s comments about the assassination of Charlie Kirk.
In a letter sent to The Walt Disney Co. on Wednesday, some investors asked the parent company of ABC’s “Jimmy Kimmel Live!” to hand over any documents in its possession related to its decision last week to pull Kimmel off the airwaves.
The letter was from lawyers representing the American Federation of Teachers (AFT), the U.S. labor federation AFL-CIO, and Reporters Without Borders (RSF), who claim to be company shareholders.
The shareholders are seeking documents on how company executives are expected to make decisions regarding “politically sensitive programming.” They also want the details of the agreement with affiliate networks Nexstar and Sinclair, which continue to suspend Kimmel’s show on air, although it is available on their streaming platforms. Nexstar owns 32 ABC stations across the United States. Sinclair owns 30 ABC affiliate stations.
The lawyers said they are prepared to proceed with legal action if Disney does not share the requested information within five business days. Disney is legally registered in Delaware.
Former Obama aide and non-profit Democracy Defenders Fund founder Norman Eisen, lawyer Roberta Kaplan, who sued President Donald Trump on behalf of E. Jean Carroll, and lawyer Christopher Clark, who has represented Elon Musk and Hunter Biden, were the authors of the letter.
“Pulling Jimmy Kimmel off the air was a mistake: one that betrayed principles of free speech and American democracy,” Eisen, who is acting as legal counsel for AFT and RSF, said in a statement. “And while it was great to have him back on most ABC affiliates, about 25 percent of them did not carry his return.
“We are seeking answers about all of this, including whether Disney bowed down to illegal government demands in order to facilitate approval of the Nexstar-Tegna merger currently before the FCC.”
On Monday, FFC Chair Brendan Carr said: “Jimmy Kimmel is in the situation that he is in because of his ratings, not because of anything that’s happened at the federal government level.”
By Melanie Sun
