'He put us up for sale’: Jimmy Kimmel slams Bob Iger at Disney Upfront amid ABC sale rumors
MANHATTAN, NEW YORK CITY: On May 14 Jimmy Kimmel wrapped up the afternoon of at The Walt Disney Company’s yearly upfronts event as the host where he candidly critiqued the company, especially Bob Iger.
Kimmel suggested that Iger should retire and accused him of "drowning the children" during his remarks.
Jimmy Kimmel roasts Bob Iger for failed ABC sale
In 2023, rumors swirled within ABC after Disney CEO Bob Iger hinted at the possibility of selling the network but he never officially acknowledged any plans for a sale, media tycoon Byron Allen did extend a $10 billion offer.
Ultimately, no sale materialized.
In light of the news, Kimmel humorously poked fun at various individuals, including both current CEO, Iger and former CEO, Bob Chapek.
Among Kimmel’s early clever remarks during the session was a jest about the widely circulated rumor of ABC being potentially sold, which drew significant attention in 2023.
"Bob Iger should be retired by now, he should be off on a yacht somewhere. Instead he’s here pretending to be excited about a new season of Will-Fucking-Trent," Kimmel said as per The Wrap.
He then continued, "Bob tried to sell us last year. He put us up for sale, and, as if that wasn’t bad enough, no one wanted to buy us."
Kimmel then added, “When no one was interested, Bob explained that he didn’t mean he literally wanted to sell us, he was just testing the waters for Wall Street.”
“You know, Bob, usually when people test the waters, they dip in a toe. They don’t drown their children,” Kimmel said.
Jimmy Kimmel criticizes Disney's former CEO, slams streaming platforms for Ad absence
During his roast, the late-night host also made a dig at Bob Chapek, Disney’s former CEO and Iger’s successor at one point.
Chapek led the company from 2020 until his dismissal and subsequent replacement by Iger in November 2022.
“As you know, Gerry [Turner], ‘The Golden Bachelor', and his bride Theresa [Nist] decided to end their marriage after a very short union, same as what happened with Chapek,” Kimmel said.
The comedian didn't hold back when he referred to the entire season of the 'The Bachelor' spin-off as "a complete jerk off," despite acknowledging its significant popularity.
Reportedly, Kimmel also didn't shy away from criticizing Disney and other streaming platforms for eroding the unique appeal of streaming, particularly the absence of advertising.
He pointed out that when services like Netflix and Disney+ first debuted, subscribers paid a reasonable fee for an ad-free experience and quality content.
However, now many streaming platforms are either charging more for ad-free options or eliminating ad-free tiers altogether.
Kimmel said: “We are bundling and while from the outside this may look like an act of desperation, from the inside, it also looks like that. We didn’t want to bundle, we had to — like when you’re freezing to death and it’s so cold you have to get into a sleeping bag with your uncle so you don’t die. That’s us. You’ve seen our churn rates. This is not just churn. It’s Chernobyl."
He then added, "Now finally our users can turn on their TV and get all the channels in one package for one price all supported by ads. We call it ‘basic cable’ and it’s gonna blow your mind. We’re consolidating. We are building one enormous ad-supported streaming pile of shit.”
“It must be a good idea because it’s already getting copycats. Netflix, Apple and Peacock just announced their new bundle StreamSaver today. What an excellent name. StreamSaver sounds like a catheter you might find for sale on TuckerCarlson.com," Kimmel concluded.
