Bob Iger breaks silence on Disney's suspension of Jimmy Kimmel over Charlie Kirk assassination comments

Former Disney CEO Bob Iger is defending the company's decision to suspend Jimmy Kimmel after comments the late-night host made following the assassination of conservative activist Charlie Kirk, saying Disney viewed the remarks as "in bad taste."

In an interview with the Financial Times published Saturday, Iger said that Disney removing "Jimmy Kimmel Live" was not to appease the Trump administration, but instead due to comments Kimmel made in September after the assassination of Charlie Kirk.

"That was not the case," Iger said. "We thought it was in bad taste."

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Split image of Jimmy Kimmel and Charlie Kirk. (Getty Images)

Iger said Kimmel was asked to apologize, saying, "We just wanted him to acknowledge that it was an ill-timed and probably inappropriate comment."

In September, Kimmel suggested that Kirk’s suspected assassin, Tyler Robinson, was a member of the "MAGA gang."

"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 and doing everything they can to score political points from it," Kimmel said.

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Charlie Kirk throws a "Make America Great Again" hat to the crowd at Utah Valley University on September 10, 2025 in Orem, Utah. Kirk, founder of Turning Point USA, was speaking at his "American Comeback Tour" when he was shot in the neck and killed. (Trent Nelson/The Salt Lake Tribune/Getty Images)

Kimmel was suspended indefinitely from Sept. 17 through Sept. 22, 2025, following the remarks.

He later defended his remarks during an interview with Bloomberg’s Lucas Shaw, saying "I didn't think there was a big problem," Kimmel said. "I just saw it as distortion on the part of some of the right-wing media networks, and I aimed to correct it."

He said he realized the comments were an issue "when they pulled the show off the air," and added, "I can sometimes be reactionary. I can sometimes be aggressive. I can sometimes be unpleasant. I think that it helped me, really, having those days to think about it was helpful."

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Charlie Kirk speaks at Utah Valley University on September 10, 2025 in Orem, Utah. Kirk, founder of Turning Point USA, was speaking at his "American Comeback Tour" when he was shot in the neck and killed. (Trent Nelson/The Salt Lake Tribune/Getty Images)

He also said he believed his comments were mischaracterized.

"I didn’t ‘feel’ like it. It was," he said. "It was intentionally, and I think maliciously, mischaracterized.

"I think what has happened over the last, like, three weeks, I think was very unfair to my bosses at Disney. I don't think anyone should ever be put in a position like this. It is insane," Kimmel said. "And I hope that we drew a really, really bold red line as Americans about what we will and will not accept. I really hope that that's what comes out of all of this."

Fox News Digital attempted to reach Kimmel for comment.

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Jimmy Kimmel on his show. (Randy Holmes/Disney General Entertainment Content via Getty Images)