‘How to boycott ABC’ trending after Jimmy Kimmel show cancelation

Following the news that Jimmy Kimmel Live! has been pulled from the air “indefinitely,” netizens have been busy putting together an action plan on “how to boycott ABC” while sharing a behind-the-scenes business deal that may shed further light on the situation.

Right now, hundreds, if not thousands of Disney Plus and Hulu subscribers are deleting their accounts after Kimmel was fired over his comments in Monday night’s (September 15) episode of his chat show. 

The host mentioned Charlie Kirk’s death, suggesting the “MAGA gang” are “doing everything they can to score political points” from Kirk’s murder, while highlighting president Donald Trump’s reaction to the news. 

On September 17, Nexstar Media Group announced its ABC affiliates would pull Jimmy Kimmel Live! from the air “for the foreseeable future” due to the comments regarding Kirk, with ABC – a Disney-owned company – following suit. 

‘How to boycott ABC’ action plan circulates online

The reaction to this move has been overwhelmingly negative, with netizens, political figures, and celebrities slamming the cancelation due to the issues it presents regarding free speech and the fact that Kimmel’s comments did not celebrate Kirk’s murder. 

Ultimately, the monologue, which you can watch in the video above, criticizes Trump’s reaction. This – coupled with the fact Trump has been a staunch critic of cancel culture, comparing it to totalitarianism – has left many people denouncing ABC and the associated companies.

Alongside canceling Disney Plus and Hulu, both streaming services owned by ABC’s parent company, netizens are putting together a list of actions others can take. “Actions you can take (any or all are great, do whatever you can, if you can),” wrote one on Reddit.

“Cancel your Disney streaming services (as said in OP, that’s Disney+, Hulu, ESPN). Cancel your cable/YouTubeTV/Hulu Live (the biggest chunk of your subscription goes directly to ABC’s parent company Disney).

“Cancel any planned trips to Disney’s theme parks. Halt any purchases of Disney memorabilia. Try to do these cancelations over the phone or chat. Tell them it’s because you don’t want any of your money going to the Disney corporation so long as Kimmel is off the air.

“If you live near a Disney Store or the Disney Parks or a Disney/ABC corporate office, organize a group of friends to picket in front of the building/property and encourage employees to consider calling in sick (don’t be mean to them though, they may be in a tough place).”

Another added to the list, “Pro tip! If any of your credit card info is tied to that account, cancel or freeze that card! I tried to cancel Netflix, but they randomly reactivated my account. I reported my card as stolen and it was deactivated and I got a refund for the Netflix charge.”

Others have warned to be careful when protesting as it could lead to arrests, to which the OP wrote, “They can’t arrest everyone. It’s a calculated risk.”

Over on X/Twitter, hashtags like #cancelDisneyPlus, #cancelHulu, and #boycottABC are gaining traction, with similar messages being shared. 

“Never, ever forgive ABC for what they did,” wrote one. “We must fully and completely, 100%, boycott. If their journalists have any integrity, they will walk off the job. Right now is zero hour for bold action. We are in a dark midnight for free speech, for our country, for our future.”

Another said, “BOYCOTT ALERT! Disney/ABC just caved and pulled Jimmy Kimmel for political reasons. Nexstar – which owns The CW and 200+ local ABC, NBC, CBS and FOX stations – is part of the same machine.

“Boycott Disney. Boycott Nexstar. Boycott their advertisers. Hit them where it hurts: the $$$.”

Critics say Jimmy Kimmel cancelation tied to Nexstar buyout

The main ‘Boycott ABC’ thread, which has nearly 10,000 upvotes, also shares the recent news that Nexstar is seeking approval from the US’ Federal Communications Commission (FCC) for a $6.2 billion acquisition of the media company Tegna.

FCC chairman Brendan Carr had been pushing to have Kimmel’s show removed this week, telling right-wing YouTuber Benny Johnson on Wednesday that he’s threatening immediate action against the host, ABC, and Disney.

One part of Kimmel’s monologue, “MAGA gang desperately trying to characterize this kid who murdered Charlie Kirk as anything other than one of them,” has been the topic of debate. It’s unclear if he meant the suspect was a MAGA supporter or that he represented the political shift in America.

But for those who support Kimmel’s removal, it’s the former. “This is a very, very serious issue right now for Disney. 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,” Carr said.

“They have a license granted by us at the FCC, and that comes with it an obligation to operate in the public interest. There are calls for Kimmel to be fired. I think you could certainly see a path forward for suspension over this.

“The FCC could make a strong argument that this is sort of an intentional effort to mislead the American people about a very core fundamental fact, a very important matter.

“Disney needs to see some change here, but the individual licensed stations that are taking their content, it’s time for them to step up.”

Creative Commons

As for Nexstar, the acquisition of Tegna would go against the FCC’s rules that prohibit broadcasters from owning TV stations reaching more than 39% of US TV households, but Carr and the Trump administration is seeking to strip away these restrictions. 

With Nexstar seeking FCC approval for the buyout, critics are arguing that Kimmel’s firing may be a political move. The same argument was raised earlier this year, when CBS announced The Late Show with Stephen Colbert would end after its latest run. 

Although the network said the decision was financial, some have pointed to Colbert’s criticism of Trump and the fact that Paramount (CBS’ parent company) and Skydance’s merger also had to be approved by the FCC.

The Reddit post shares a link to the Tegna news, followed by the comment, “In short, Nexstar is kissing up to Carr and the FCC so they get approval for their acquisition of Tegna, and Kimmel’s cancelation appears to have little to do with the content of his monologue.”

Another commented, “Nexstar is seeking Federal Communications Commission approval for its $6.2 billion acquisition of Tegna. So this is the Paramount scandal all over again. Big companies having no backbone.”

“Follow the money and it will generally lead you to the real backstory, as is the case here,” added a third. 

Never, ever forgive ABC for what they did. We must fully and completely, 100%, boycott. If their journalists have any integrity, they will walk off the job. Right now is zero hour for bold action. We are in a dark midnight for free speech, for our country, for our future. pic.twitter.com/Gv3cT7Mz5U

— John Jackson (@hissgoescobra) September 18, 2025

The deal was also highlighted by The New York Times’ financial columnist Andrew Ross Sorkin, who wrote, “Jimmy Kimmel’s indefinite suspension from ABC is the latest example of companies seeking to placate the Trump administration.”

He then shared the TL;DR: “Two companies that together own about 70 ABC affiliates said that they would pull Kimmel’s show. One of them is Nexstar, which is trying to buy Tegna for $6.2 billion – a deal that requires approval from the FCC. 

“We’ve seen something like this before: Paramount settled a lawsuit filed by President Trump, and then received approval for its sale to Skydance.”

Disney stock owners call to sell shares

If you’re wondering about ABC’s market performance and whether it will take a hit in light of Kimmel’s suspension, this will fall under Walt Disney Company (ticker DIS) stocks as it is owned by the House of Mouse. 

As of September 18, 2025, shares are trading at $115.29, down about 0.9% (–$1.04) on the day, which is a modest dip rather than a crash. In short, there’s no abnormal drop tied directly to the pull of Jimmy Kimmel Live! or the boycott discussion.

But these kinds of public controversies can feed into investor sentiment, especially if advertisers or affiliates pull back. If there is a significant dip in the coming trading days, it may be tied to expectations of revenue loss via ads or subscriptions.

Regardless, many have already been selling their Disney stock, with one writing, “Time to sell Disney stock,” and another adding, “If you own stock in Disney, sell it. If you subscribe to Disney or Hulu, cancel. This is about freedom of speech in America.”

A third wrote, “Just so we’re clear @ABC @Disney. I just canceled a 15k family trip to Disneyland next year for six people. I canceled my Disney streaming account. And my wife has a sell order for all her Disney stock tomorrow.”