'By-the-Way, for the Record, This Ex-Disney Employee Finds Jimmy Kimmel Very Talented and Funny' — Star Wars Legend Mark Hamill and Other Disney Stars Hit Out at ABC's Suspension of Jimmy Kimmel
Star Wars and Marvel actors Mark Hamill, Pedro Pascal, and Mark Ruffalo have joined a growing list of former and current Disney employees who have hit out at ABC’s suspension of talk show host Jimmy Kimmel.
On September 17, 2025, ABC suspended Jimmy Kimmel Live! indefinitely after its host made on-air comments about the assassination of conservative activist Charlie Kirk. ABC axed the show after the Federal Communications Commission (FCC) threatened regulatory action, raising concerns the Trump administration is curtailing the free speech of its critics.
In his monologue last week, the 57-year-old Kimmel said the "Maga gang" was "desperately trying to characterise this kid who murdered Charlie Kirk as anything other than one of them" and trying "everything they can" to "score political points from it.”
He also compared Trump's reaction to Kirk’s death to "how a four-year-old mourns a goldfish.”
Jimmy Kimmel claims "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" and "This is not how an adult… pic.twitter.com/KMhnskaYWD
— Alex Christy (@alexchristy17) September 16, 2025
FCC chair Brendan Carr accused Kimmel of "the sickest conduct possible" and said networks like the Disney-owned ABC could "find ways to change conduct and take action... or there's going to be additional work for the FCC.”
U.S. President Donald Trump then suggested some TV networks opposed to him should have their licences "taken away.” As reported by the BBC, Trump said: "I have read some place that the networks were 97% against me, again, 97% negative, and yet I won and easily [in last year's election].
"They give me only bad publicity [and] press. I mean, they're getting a licence. I would think maybe their licence should be taken away."
Now, former and current Disney employees have issued support for Kimmel, publicly criticising ABC owner Disney, the FCC, and Trump.
Luke Skywalker actor Mark Hamill took to social media to say: “Giving a bully your lunch money is only a temporary downpayment for future bullying.
“We ALL need to step up for the first amendment.
“By-the-way, for the record, this ex-Disney employee finds Jimmy Kimmel very talented and funny.”
That last line was itself a repeat of a quote from ex-Disney CEO Michael Eisner, who slammed his former company’s decision to suspend Kimmel under pressure from what he called the Trump administration’s “out-of-control intimidation.”
“Where has all the leadership gone?” Eisner said in a post on social media. “If not for university presidents, law firm managing partners, and corporate chief executives standing up against bullies, who then will step up for the first amendment? The ‘suspending indefinitely’ of Jimmy Kimmel immediately after the Chairman of the FCC's aggressive yet hollow threatening of the Disney Company is yet another example of out-of-control intimidation. Maybe the Constitution should have said, ‘Congress shall make no law abridging the freedom of speech, or of the press, except in one’s political or financial self-interest.’ By-the-way, for the record, this ex-CEO finds Jimmy Kimmel very talented and funny.”
Hamill, an outspoken critic of Trump, has already indicated his time acting in Star Wars is over. Pascal and Ruffalo, however, are heavily involved in various Disney projects. Pascal starred as Reed Richards in The Fantastic Four: First Steps, and is set to reprise the role in next year’s Avengers: Doomsday. But he also plays The Mandalorian in the Star Wars franchise, and will reprise the role for next year’s The Mandalorian & Grogu film.
Pascal took to social media on September 18 to say he is "standing with" Kimmel, writing: "Defend #FreeSpeech Defend #DEMOCRACY."
Ruffalo, meanwhile, plays Bruce Banner / The Hulk in the Marvel Cinematic Universe, and will reprise the role in next year’s Spider-Man: Brand New Day. While he’s not on the official cast list for Avengers: Doomsday, it’s hard to see the Hulk fail to show up in either that movie or its sequel, Avengers: Secret Wars.
Ruffalo said in a September 20 post that Disney’s stock will "go down a lot further if they cancel" Kimmel's show permanently. "Disney does not want to be the ones that broke America," Ruffalo added.
Other Marvel stars, such as Aunt May actress Marisa Tomei, and She-Hulk star Tatiana Maslany, have also hit out at Disney.
Trump supported ABC's decision to suspend Jimmy Kimmel, pushed back on the idea free speech was under attack, instead pointing to ratings.
"Well, Jimmy Kimmel was fired because he had bad ratings more than anything else, and he said a horrible thing about a great gentleman known as Charlie Kirk," he told reporters. "And Jimmy Kimmel is not a talented person. And they should have fired him a long time ago. So you can call that free speech or not."
Former U.S. president Barack Obama has also commented, tweeting a statement expressing concern about recent developments: "After years of complaining about cancel culture, the current administration has taken it to a new and dangerous level by routinely threatening regulatory action against media companies unless they muzzle or fire reporters and commentators it doesn’t like."
Photo by Rich Fury/Getty Images.
Wesley is Director, News at IGN. Find him on Twitter at @wyp100. You can reach Wesley at wesley_yinpoole@ign.com or confidentially at wyp100@proton.me.
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