Trump censorship of Disney - my comment. | Trump stosuje cenzurę względem Disneya - mój komentarz.
You've probably heard all the details about the attack; after all, the media has been talking about it nonstop for two weeks (and people on both sides, along with the media-related situation, haven't let it slip away), so in short: On September 10th, during a public debate on the University of Utah campus, Charlie Kirk was assassinated. Like most/many of you, I didn't know this man until the attack. He wasn't a random victim. Charlie was known for his supposedly radical views (I haven't checked, but from what I've heard, he seems like a typical conservative political activist), which in no way gave anyone the right to kill him. Especially in such a way, where he was slaughtered like an animal, in front of his wife and children. The case was immediately exploited by both sides in every possible way.
Until the Disney incident, I wasn't concerned about this case at all. Just a normal day - a polarized society arguing about things that often have no bearing on their daily lives, but allow them to fill time, vent their frustrations, and in the case of politicians and others (who care about a common conflict), make money from it. The less visible consequences of these quarrels are that it's becoming increasingly difficult for us to connect—for example, because of differences that irritate us more than before. Or the system that both sides (Republicans and Democrats, the proverbial right and left in every country) are supposedly fighting against, but in reality, they're collaborating to screw us over. Corporations are also increasingly taking advantage of this, this time those associated with Trump. Although the left is doing exactly the same thing as the right (I'll expand on this later so as not to disrupt the narrative), Trump went a step further, openly speaking about censorship and then instigating it. Sure, the left has engaged media outlets and politicians to cancel people they dislike before, but Trump's involvement in this way is a novelty. This isn't just about prominent politicians, including Biden, Khamala Harris, and Mrs. Clinton, mentioning the problem (which inevitably raises the issue's importance), but about openly enforcing their own rules.
A Disney employee, Jimmy Kimmel, was fired. I know the guy from various news channels, but I've never been a fan of shows like Conan O'Brien and the like. Mainly because most of them offer absolutely nothing to me. Neither entertainment nor interesting material, nor am I having a pleasant time doing it. Nevertheless, it's an important part of American culture, at least contemporary culture. From what I've heard, he didn't say or do anything controversial; he simply thumbed his nose at Trump, pointing out that his friend barely died and he's talking only about himself, like a narcissist. Apparently, and I'm citing the latest Polish podcast, "Napisy Koncowe," Jimmy could, under American law, afford to "drive even harder." Therefore, there was no reason to censor him.
The topic was quickly picked up by Tatiana Maslany, whose call for a Disney boycott was the strongest. The actress playing She-Hulk openly spoke about the Disney boycott. On the one hand, she played it quite harshly, but on the other hand, she could have afforded it. She's recognizable, has experience, and isn't bound by a Disney contract. I mean, obviously, everyone wants to have easy and cool money, but there are people who value independence more, and being an actor in the service of Disney comes with certain limitations. And since Tatiana is well-liked by viewers and won't be appearing in her own film or TV series anytime soon (there was no sign of a team-up, and her role in Doomsday, if she even appears at all, will be minimal), she delivered a resounding victory. As a result, a lot of people canceled their Disney subscriptions. From what Oscar says, not only leftists did this, but right-wingers as well, which makes me incredibly happy because it means there's some common sense left.
I don't want to quote Oscar from the End Credits podcast, but while I often disagree with him on political issues, he hit the bull's eye here. I may dislike Disney and criticize it for ruining brands I like, but Trump's decision genuinely pissed everyone off. We can argue about politics, but pop culture (heh, quoting Oscar again) is a no man's land. We can be liberals, leftists, conservatives, rightists, but we all enjoy playing games and watching different kinds of movies. Not just mainstream ones, but also those aimed at specific audiences (sci-fi, fantasy, slice-of-life fans, etc.). And I know, no one is a saint here. I've also opened my mouth many times, saying unnecessary things, but at least sometimes we should try to shut up. That will save a lot of trouble, seriously. Unless you don't speak that way, on that topic. In that case, point to you. Nevertheless, many do it on both sides.
I mentioned that both sides are equally guilty. This is a good place to mention it. Contrary to what people on all sides of the ideological debate say, myself included, it's not just the system that divides us. We ourselves do it too. Some cynically, others unconsciously. Some for ideas, others for money. In both cases, one, two, three, and four occur in varying proportions. The reasons are varied. It's impossible to explain this topic in one longer text because it's too complex. I plan to publish the second part of the series "Why It's Not Worth Talking" in a few months (for now, in Polish; readers outside Poland – let me know if you'd like to read it). In Part 1, I gave some of the reasons. To summarize: our brains have a limited data bandwidth, which VERY much affects the quality of the discussion (we don't have access to all the arguments like AI, we are not able to present them in a sufficiently attractive form, maintaining the quality of the content like AI), which is additionally influenced by our sleep/lack of sleep, mood, emotional state, being stuck in information bubbles, different understanding of certain words... And many other factors.
Politicians and corporations exploit this every day. If you think your side is less evil or hasn't done what you accuse the other side of... I recommend abandoning it. I've been interested in politics for a long time, and I'm also a political scientist, so I know the subject. Yes, I don't hide my right-wing-liberal views, but I have no reason to sympathize with the parties or politicians who have staked out these emotions and views. They're in the same boat as "the other side," and both sides want it to last as long as possible. Both sides cynically lie every day, fueling conflict and distracting us from important issues. Moreover, if it were just an exchange of opinions, that would be half the trouble, but people unconsciously (or, as Szymon Pękala from the Polish channel War of Ideas puts it) try to vent negative emotions or criticize someone we believe is talking nonsense.
As I said, there are no innocents here. I've posted too many negative emotions online myself. Even if I criticized something bad, I could say the same thing but in different words. For this reason, I stopped writing about politics. Yes, there are other reasons, too – financial (it's more profitable for me to devote my time to something I can earn money from, like writing about games) or misunderstandings (the part about the limitations of the human brain), but I won't lie. As my popularity and experience as a blogger grow, I don't want to contribute to increasing polarization. That's called being accountable for what I say. Besides, people won't understand certain things until "the system goes to hell." As we say in Poland, there's no point in fighting back.
Ultimately, Jimmy returned to the airwaves quite quickly, and Disney's image suffered. And they had a chance to show their good side. Other companies would certainly be happy to support Disney (after all, politicians have already pissed everyone off), but they can't afford lengthy legal battles. Let's stop helping politicians destroy our society.
Source of photo: https://www.wunc.org/politics/2020-11-13/lottery-selected-politicians-start-thinking-outside-the-ballot-box
O wszystkich szczegółach zamachu pewnie słyszeliście, w końcu media gadają o tym bez ustanku od 2 tygodni (a dodatkowo ludzie z obu stron i sytuacja "około-medialna", nie pozwalają o tym zapomnieć), więc w skrócie. 10 września podczas publicznej debaty na kampusie na uniwersytecie w Utah, został zamordowany Charlie Kirk. Podobnie jak większość / wielu z Was, nie znałem tego człowieka do momentu ataku. Nie była to przypadkowa ofiara. Charlie był znany ze swoich rzekomo radykalnych tez (nie sprawdzałem, ale po tych, które usłyszałem, sprawia wrażenie typowego, konserwatywnego aktywisty politycznego), co bynajmniej nie dało komukolwiek prawa do zabicia go. Zwłaszcza w taki sposób, gdzie ukatrupiono go jak zwierzę, na oczach żony i dzieci. Sprawa momentalnie została wykorzystana przez obie strony w każdy możliwy sposób.
Do momentu akcji z Disneyem, zupełnie nie przejmowałem się tą sprawą. Ot, dzień jak co dzień - spolaryzowane społeczeństwo kłóci się o rzeczy, które często nie mają znaczenia dla ich codziennego życia, ale pozwalają wypełnić czas, wyrzucić swoje frustracje, a w przypadku polityków i innych (którym zależy na wspólnym konflikcie), zarabiać na tym. Mniej widocznymi skutkami tych kłótni jest to, że coraz trudniej jest nam nawiązać kontakt - np. przez różnice, które irytują nas bardziej niż dawniej. Albo system, z którym rzekomo walczą obie strony (republikanie - demokraci, przysłowiowa prawica i lewica w każdym kraju), a tak naprawdę współpracują we wspólnym dymaniu nas na kasę. Coraz częściej też, korzystają z tego korporacje, tym razem te związane z Trumpem. Choć lewica robi dokładnie to samo, co prawica (rozwinę tę kwestię później, by nie rozbijać narracji), to Trump poszedł o krok dalej, mówiąc wprost o cenzurze i doprowadzając do niej. Jasne, lewica już wcześniej angażowała media i polityków do cancelowania ludzi, których nie lubią, ale TAKIE zaangażowanie Trumpa, stanowi pewne novum. To już nie jest wspominanie o problemie przez czołowych polityków, również Bidena, Khamalę Harris, pani Clinton (co siłą rzeczy podnosi wagę problemu), tylko jawne wprowadzanie swoich reguł.
Doszło do zwolnienia pracownika Disneya, Jimmy'ego Kimmela. Znam typa z różnych newsów, ale nigdy nie byłem miłośnikiem programów w stylu Conana O'Briena i im podobnych. Głównie dlatego, że większość z nich, nie daje mi absolutnie nic. Ani rozrywki, ani ciekawych materiałów ani nie spędzam przy tym przyjemnie czasu. Niemniej jest to ważna część Amerykańskiej kultury, przynajmniej tej współczesnej. Z tego co słyszałem, nie powiedział ani nie zrobił nic kontrowersyjnego, po prostu pstryknął Trumpa w nos, wytykając mu że ledwo zginął jego przyjaciel, a on opowiada wyłącznie o sobie, jak narcyz. Podobno, powołuję się tutaj na najnowszy, polski podcast Napisy Końcowe, Jimmy mógłby zgodnie z amerykańskim prawem, pozwolić sobie na "jeszcze ostrzejszą jazdę". Zatem nie było żadnego powodu, by go cenzurować.
Temat został szybko podchwycony przez Tatianę Maslany, której apel o bojkot Disneya wybrzmiał najmocniej. Aktorka wcielająca się w She-Hulk, wprost powiedziała o bojkocie Disneya. Z jednej strony zagrała dość ostro, ale z drugiej strony, mogła sobie na to pozwolić. Jest rozpoznawalna, ma doświadczenie i nie jest ograniczona kontraktem Disneya. W sensie, wiadomo, każdy chce mieć łatwe i fajne pieniądze, ale są ludzie którzy bardziej cenią sobie niezależność, a bycie aktorem na usługach Disneya, wiąże się z pewnymi ograniczeniami. A skoro Tatiana jest lubiana przez widzów i nie wystąpi zbyt szybko w swoim filmie lub serialu (na team-up z kimś się nie zanosiło, a jej rola w Doomsday, o ile w ogóle tam się pojawi, będzie minimalna), zagrała z wysokiego C. Efekt jest taki, że mnóstwo osób usunęło subskrypcję Disneya. Z tego co mówi Oscar, zrobili to nie tylko lewicowcy, ale też prawicowcy, co mnie cholernie cieszy, bo to oznacza, że został jakiś zdrowy rozsądek.
Nie chcę cytować Oscara z podcastu Napisy Końcowe, ale tak jak często nie zgadzam się z nim w kwestiach politycznych, tak tutaj trafił prosto w środek tarczy. Mogę nie lubić Disneya i krytykować go za zepsucie marek, które lubię, ale decyzja Trumpa wkurzyła autentycznie wszystkich. Możemy się sprzeczać w sprawach politycznych, ale popkultura (huh, znowu cytuję Oscara), to ziemia niczyja. Możemy być liberałami, lewicowcami, konserwatystami, prawicowcami, ale każdy z nas lubi grać w gry i oglądać różne filmy. Nie tylko te mainstreamowe, ale też skierowane do konkretnej grupy (miłośników sci-fi, fantasy, slice of life etc.). I ja wiem, nikt nie jest tutaj święty, ja też wielokrotnie niepotrzebnie otworzyłem usta mówiąc niepotrzebne rzeczy, ale chociaż czasem spróbujmy się zamknąć. To oszczędzi wielu problemów, serio. No chyba, że nie wypowiadasz się w ten sposób, na takie temat. Wtedy punkt dla Ciebie. Niemniej, wielu to robi po każdej ze stron.
Wspomniałem o tym, że obie strony są równie winne. To dobre miejsce, by o tym wspomnieć. Wbrew temu, co mówią ludzie z każdej strony sporu światopoglądowego, w tym ja, nie tylko system nas dzieli. Robimy to też my sami. Niektórzy cynicznie, inni nieświadomie. Niektórzy dla idei, inni dla pieniędzy. W obu przypadkach, jedno, drugie, trzecie i czwarte, występuje w różnych proporcjach. Powody są różne. Nie da się wyjaśnić tego tematu w ramach jednego, dłuższego tekstu, bo jest zbyt złożony. Planuję wrzucić za kilka miesięcy drugą część tekstu z serii: "Dlaczego nie warto rozmawiać" (na razie w wersji po Polsku, czytelnicy spoza Polski - dajcie znać, czy chcecie go przeczytać). W 1 podałem część powodów. Streszczając: nasze mózgi mają ograniczoną przepustowość danych, co BARDZO wpływa na jakość dyskusji (nie mamy dostępu do wszystkich argumentów jak A.I, nie jesteśmy w stanie zaprezentować ich w odpowiednio atrakcyjnej formie, zachowując jakość treści, jak A.I), na co dodatkowo wpływa nasze wyspanie / nie wyspanie, humor, stan emocjonalny, tkwienie w bańkach informacyjnych, różne rozumienie danych słów... I wiele innych czynników.
Politycy i korporacje wykorzystują to każdego dnia. Jeśli myślicie, że Wasza strona jest mniej zła lub nie zrobiła tego, co zarzucacie drugiej... Polecam to porzucić. Interesuję się polityką od dawna, a dodatkowo jestem politologiem, więc znam temat. Tak, nie ukrywam swoich prawicowo-liberalnych poglądów, ale nie mam powodów sympatyzować z partami lub politykami, które obstawiły te emocje i poglądy. Jadą na tym samym wózku, co "ta druga strona", a obu stronom zależy na tym, by trwało to jak najdłużej. Obie strony cynicznie kłamią każdego dnia, podsycając konflikt i odrywając naszą uwagę od ważnych spraw. Co więcej, gdyby chodziło tylko o wymianę zdań, to pół biedy, ale ludzie nieświadomie (lub jak to mówi Szymon Pękala z polskiego kanału Wojna Idei) starają się wyrzucić z siebie negatywne emocje lub skrytykować kogoś, kto wg nas gada głupoty.
Tak jak mówiłem, nie ma tutaj niewinnych. Sam wrzuciłem do sieci zbyt dużo negatywnych emocji. Nawet jeśli krytykowałem coś złego, to mogłem powiedzieć to samo, ale innymi słowami. Z tego powodu, przestałem pisać o sprawach politycznych. Tak, wynika to też z innych powodów - finansowych (bardziej opłaca mi się poświęcić czas na coś, na czym mogę zarobić - np. teksty o grach) lub nieporozumienia (fragment dotyczący ograniczeń ludzkiego mózgu), ale nie będę kłamał. Wraz ze wzrostem popularności i doświadczeniem jako bloger, nie chcę dokładać się do zwiększania polaryzacji. To się nazywa odpowiedzialność za słowo. Poza tym, ludzie nie zrozumieją pewnych rzeczy, dopóki "system nie pierdolnie". Jak to mówimy w Polsce, nie ma sensu szarpać się z koniem.
Ostatecznie Jimmy powrócił dość szybko na antenę, a Disney stracił wizerunkowo. A mieli szansę pokazać się od dobrej strony. Inne firmy na pewno chętnie wsparłyby Disneya (w końcu politycy zdążyli wkurzyć wszystkich), tylko nie stać ich na długie batalie sądowe. Przestańmy pomagać politykom w niszczeniu naszego społeczeństwa.
https://peakd.com/hive-134382/@herosik/dlaczego-dyskusje-nie-maja-sensu
Źrodło zdjęcia: https://www.wunc.org/politics/2020-11-13/lottery-selected-politicians-start-thinking-outside-the-ballot-box
Trump didn't fire Kimmel nor was he even fired. ABC suspended his show "indefinitely" (which turned out to be a few days). This was primarily because of pressure from ABC affiliates because their local markets were not happy with Kimmel, not because Trump said so, but because of pressure from customers.
I don't watch his show so I can only speak based on what I've heard but my understanding is that it was the outright lies he was telling that were controversial. For example, he was claiming that the person who killed Kirk was a MAGA supporter which was already known not to be true at the time.
The FCC is the regulatory body in the United States that can censor what goes over the airwaves. Traditionally, many of these regulations have only affected entitles that license certain parts of the RF spectrum to broadcast (ABC is one of these), not cable or streaming only entities. Normally, this would include restricting things like pornography and inappropriate language. Whether or not telling objective lies is something they can penalize you for, I don't know. However, if not, then there would be nothing really the FCC could do or that a court wouldn't overturn. Trump can say he's going to turn into a pumpkin but that doesn't mean it's going to happen. However, if he wants to speak out against ABC/Disney or whoever, he has the same 2nd amendment free speech rights as everyone else.
The only censorship that happened here was self censorship because of the negative feedback. Some ABC affiliates are still pre-empting Kimmel's show and showing other things instead. When half the country is angry about your choice of employees, that's probably going to affect your bottom line. The success of Kimmel's show ultimately depends on advertisers which depends on viewers. If there were any legitimate government censorship here, the show would not have come back after a couple of days.
Could you show me good source for it? Trump did censorship by him, he's republican and Trump guy. Proof -> https://edition.cnn.com/2025/09/18/media/brendan-carr-jimmy-kimmel-fcc-first-amendment
Also Trump was happy bout it. -> Trump, a frequent critic of Kimmel and the entire late-night host lineup, first took to Truth Social late Wednesday, Sept. 18, to deride Kimmel's ratings and throw some shots at Stephen Colbert, Seth Meyers and Jimmy Fallon.
"Great News for America: The ratings challenged Jimmy Kimmel Show is CANCELLED. Congratulations to ABC for finally having the courage to do what had to be done," Trump wrote. "Kimmel has ZERO talent, and worse ratings than even Colbert, if that’s possible. That leaves Jimmy and Seth, two total losers, on Fake News NBC. Their ratings are also horrible. Do it NBC!!! President DJT"
https://eu.usatoday.com/story/entertainment/tv/2025/09/18/jimmy-kimmel-suspension-trump-reaction/86214366007/
President Trump also suggested that he might sue ABC after Kimmel returned to the airwaves, saying, “We’re going to test ABC out on this.” It comes after ABC settled a civil defamation suit with Trump for $16 million last year.
https://www.democracynow.org/2025/9/24/headlines/trump_suggests_he_will_sue_abc_after_jimmy_kimmel_returns_to_the_airwaves
Prove what? That Trump didn't do something? Your own link does that. One of the headlines (first link you posted) is 'FCC chair, helped take down Jimmy Kimmel with words, not actions". Just like anybody else, the FCC chair can say what he wants. That's not the same as taking legal action to force something. That's not censorship. Quoting further from the same link: "Carr did not violate the letter of the law. That’s because the First Amendment bars government action limiting free speech. And Carr didn’t take any action — he merely, and perhaps ironically, spoke."
And Trump can be as happy as he wants to be. It shouldn't be any surprise that he doesn't like Kimmel. So what? Trump expressing his opinion that ABC should cancel Kimmel's show is not censorship. Legal action to force Kimmel's show off the air would be (depending on the exact circumstances I suppose) and that has not happened. And, by the way, Kimmel's show is already back on the air (except for affiliates who are choosing not to show it which is about 25% of them last I heard).
BTW, this was the comment from Kimmel that has caused perhaps the most controversy, in no small part because it is untrue.
“We hit some new lows over the weekend with the MAGA gang desperately trying to characterize this kid who murdered Charlie Kirk as anything other than one of them"
There is speculation that Nextar, owners of some of the ABC affiliates that are still not showing Kimmel's show is making that decision because it is currently trying to merge with another media company (a $6.4 billion deal) and this needs government approval. Personally, i think further media consolidation is a bad idea anyway.
I'm not a huge fan of Trump or of cancel culture on either side. But I'm also not a fan of hyperbole and to say that ABC has been censored is certainly that.
Proof of that it's about "This was primarily because of pressure from ABC affiliates because their local markets were not happy with Kimmel, not because Trump said so, but because of pressure from customers."
Guy who did it, Brendar Carr, is selected by President and the Senate. Senate is took by Republicans, so he's Trump guy. His "we'll do it the easy way or the hard way" line could be indicative of blackmail, and certainly a complete lack of professionalism. Such matters are resolved through official action. I could understand a strong reaction if he had overstepped his bounds, and Kimmel was far from that.
I'm not aware of this takeover (Nextar). If such a move is made, it will certainly be noticed by the websites I use to get my news. Especially since such news has been interesting lately due to Zaslav's desire to sell Warner.
Lack of professionalism maybe. However, the fact that there was no official action taken means there was no censorship. As far as why Disney initially suspended Kimmel:
"We made the decision to suspend production on the show to avoid further inflaming a tense situation at an emotional moment for our country. It is a decision we made because we felt some of the comments were ill-timed and thus insensitive.” - https://apnews.com/article/jimmy-kimmel-show-suspended-charlie-kirk-ae43c600bd0f2a4c7d3c12077e91b211
And as far as why some other affiliates kept him off the air longer:
“We made a decision last week to preempt ‘Jimmy Kimmel Live!’ following what ABC referred to as Mr. Kimmel’s ‘ill-timed and insensitive’ comments at a critical time in our national discourse,” Nexstar said Tuesday in a statement.
“We stand by that decision pending assurance that all parties are committed to fostering an environment of respectful, constructive dialogue in the markets we serve,” Nexstar said.
https://www.latimes.com/entertainment-arts/business/story/2025-09-23/nexstar-station-group-preempts-abc-jimmy-kimmel
In neither case was censorship or pressure from Trump or the FCC mentioned as a reason.
No official action was taken, but a threat was made. Disney's response is a fairly standard one given in such situations. Slick, general, evasive, and doesn't address the heart of the matter. The CEO of Nexstar is in agreement with Trump - "The local TV giant Nexstar is eager to expand through consolidation or other deals, with Republican control of the presidency and likely both houses of Congress."
https://www.hollywoodreporter.com/business/business-news/nexstar-moves-consolidate-trump-administration-1236055761/
I've grown accustomed to the fact that media from all sides, like most people, lie about inconvenient matters or conceal these facts. It's no coincidence that if you want the full truth, you first watch the Democratic media, then the Republican media, and finally read independent journalists (of which there are so few now) to see what both sides have left out.
Very true. In the USA we have freedom of speech but not freedom from consequences of that speech.
"From what I've heard, he didn't say or do anything controversial;" - This line in your post suggests that you didn't undersand that he lied about the alleged shooter's motives on purpose to defelct the blame of his own ideology.
I prefer no one be censored, but losing your job because you are a lying hack that provides little to no value to news or entertainment doesn't seem unfair. It feels like a natural consequence of lying and manipulating your viewers.
What's a lie? Can you provide a source so I can review it?
Even if that's the case, I haven't seen Trump supporters make that argument.
https://time.com/7317032/tyler-robinson-motive-charlie-kirk/
"In an interview with NBC on Sunday, Cox said Robinson "does come from a conservative family, but his ideology was very different than his family... There clearly was a leftist ideology with this assassin in recent years." He did not provide any further details."
Kimmel said that the shooter was clearly MAGA which is asinine based on evidence. I don't know what sources you are reading about Trump supporters, most I have encountered believe that he is Antifa and killed Kirk because of his leftist beliefs and Charlie's discussion of the Transgender issue as the shooter is living with a transitioning male partner. Did you see the texts that the shooter supposedly sent to his partner? I suggest you look that up.