Since taking office in January, Donald Trump and his administration have been turning up the heat on legacy media companies, angling for favorable coverage. ABC, CBS, the Associated Press, and Warner Bros. Discovery have already felt the squeeze. Now Disney is in the crosshairs.
In December, Trump managed to squeeze $15 million out of Disney for his presidential library, plus another $1 million to cover legal fees. That came after he sued the network and anchor George Stephanopoulos over an interview that apparently misrepresented a verdict, saying he was found liable for rape when the actual ruling was for sexual abuse.
With the lawsuit settled, the pressure seemingly hasn’t let up. And rather than standing firm behind those willing to speak out against the former president, like the hosts of The View, Disney CEO Bob Iger has reportedly pushed for the show to tone down its anti-Trump rhetoric, according to The Daily Beast.
Jemele Hill, who knows a thing or two about Disney’s infamous stick-to-sports edict, took aim at her former boss during a CNN appearance over the weekend, calling on Iger to back off.
“Trump is obviously, again, using his position as president to put pressure on these media companies,” Hill said. “And I think a lot of them are capitulating and feeling that pressure because they have things and business deals, and things on the side that they want to happen that they want to do. And so, to me, the disappointing part is that when capitulating a little, as we’ve seen with this particular person, it does not matter. He doesn’t care if you capitulate. If you give him what he wants, he’s not going to stop asking for it. To me, it’s just a simple thing of ratings. Do the ratings support that you should stop talking about Donald Trump? Probably not.
“So, if you’re Bob Iger, who I do have a lot of respect for, he was my former boss. If you’re him, that’s the only thing that should matter. As long as the audience decides that they have an appetite for that, then that is what the women should talk about, whether you like how they discuss it or not.”
The ratings back her up. The View is up year-over-year.
But Hill’s concern wasn’t just about The View’s numbers. It was about the message this sends to the entire industry.
“You also have to worry about what is this message that’s being sent to younger journalists?” asked Hill. “Because that’s what I worry about, as well, at a time where our profession is completely under attack. I came up in the journalism environment where you didn’t let City Hall come after your reporters, you defended them. And I know they’re not straight journalists necessarily on The View, but it’s still representing a journalism body.”
Hill, who knows firsthand what it’s like to have your employer cave under political pressure after her clashes with ESPN over political commentary, argued that this moment mirrors that lack of institutional support.
“So if a business that you work for — and again, y’all know I went through this at ESPN — if they’re not willing to defend you in this moment, that’s really leaving you vulnerable,” she says. “And it’s really leaving our entire industry vulnerable.
“It’s not just about these four ladies, it’s about what this represents. You already gave them $15 million. Do you think if they ask, he’s gonna stop? No. It’s this today, it’s something else tomorrow. So, at some point, you have to draw the line. Bullies just keep bullying when you keep giving them things.”
Hill would know. She’s lived this before, with the same president, the same parent company, and the same pressure to play nice. Back then, it was ESPN telling her to stick to sports. Now it’s ABC dialing down the politics. Different channel, same playbook.
