Jimmy Kimmel Says Trump Fight Cost Disney Billions as ABC Ratings Jump 25%

9 articles · Updated · USA TODAY · May 12

At Disney’s May 12 upfront presentation, Jimmy Kimmel said his clashes with President Donald Trump cost ABC and parent Disney “billions,” then sent Guillermo Rodriguez through the crowd with a donation basket that collected $7 and a tennis ball.
Kimmel tied the losses to White House pressure on ABC, including the September suspension of “Jimmy Kimmel Live!,” while saying the controversy also lifted the show’s audience 25% among viewers aged 18 to 49.
The comic used the set piece to mock Trump’s repeated efforts to get him fired and the FCC scrutiny of Disney’s broadcast licenses that followed his on-air jokes about the president and first lady.
His routine widened into a jab at the broader TV business, ridiculing CBS’s planned replacement for Stephen Colbert and suggesting even rival networks’ struggles now matter to Disney in a weaker advertising market.

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