Dear MoveOn member,
Donald Trump’s authoritarian regime is escalating its attacks on free speech—and Jimmy Kimmel is just the latest victim.
Mere hours after Kimmel called out Republicans for exploiting Charlie Kirk’s murder to advance their political agenda, Trump’s lackeys threatened retribution against Disney (which owns ABC).1 The very next day, Kimmel was pulled off the air.
Even worse, Trump is now saying that media outlets that say anything negative about him should have their licenses “taken away.”2
But remember, it’s not just Trump who is plunging us into authoritarianism. It is also the spineless corporations that are bowing down to him. Corporations like Disney that bend over backward to appease him, no matter the cost.
That’s why MoveOn is running mobile billboards around Disney’s studios in California, rallying celebrities together with hundreds of thousands of grassroots supporters to fight back, and building a robust campaign to push back against Trump's attacks on free speech at every turn.
Will you join the effort by starting a $5 monthly donation today? Your donation will help keep these billboards up and give us the funds we'll need to launch new tactics to protect free speech.
Yes, I'll chip in $5 a month. (If you've saved your payment information with ActBlue Express, your donation will go through immediately.)
No, I'm sorry, I can't make a monthly donation.
To get the full story of how and why corporations bow down to Trump, we need to follow the money.
Nexstar Media Group is the largest local television station owner in the country. It has a contract with Disney to air shows like "Jimmy Kimmel Live!"3
Nexstar needs the FCC and Trump’s Department of Justice to approve its $6.2 billion merger with another TV station operator named Tegna—a merger that would double its reach.4
After Kimmel criticized Republicans, the head of the FCC issued a veiled threat to TV stations to take action against Kimmel, saying, “We can do this the easy way or the hard way.”5
And just like that, to preserve their multibillion-dollar deal, Nexstar and Disney folded, completely bowing down to Trump.
We cannot allow greedy corporations and MAGA extremists to plunge our nation into authoritarianism.
That is why MoveOn is taking these steps:
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Running mobile billboards saying that "Dictators and Executives Aren’t Funny"
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Collecting petition signatures demanding that Disney reinstate Kimmel’s show (our petition already has more than 150,000 grassroots signatures!)
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Organizing a sign-on letter from celebrities that puts a spotlight on Trump’s censorship
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Driving media coverage so corporate executives can’t hide what they’re doing
We know that Trump will continue to escalate his attacks on free speech, which means we need to be ready to fight back at every turn. Will you join us in speaking out against corporations bowing to the Trump administration's authoritarianism by starting a $5 monthly donation today?
Yes, I'll chip in $5 a month. (If you've saved your payment information with ActBlue Express, your donation will go through immediately.)
No, I'm sorry, I can't make a monthly donation.
Thanks for all you do.
–Isbah, Mona, Alex, Emma, and the rest of the team
Sources:
1. "Disney Pulled Jimmy Kimmel as Pressure Built on Multiple Fronts," The New York Times, September 18, 2025
https://www.nytimes.com/2025/09/18/business/media/disney-abc-jimmy-kimmel.html
2. "What’s really behind the Kimmel suspension," Politico, September 18, 2025
https://www.politico.com/newsletters/politico-nightly/2025/09/18/whats-really-behind-the-kimmel-suspension-00572286
3. Ibid.
4. Ibid.
5. Ibid.
Want to support MoveOn's work? Donald Trump’s authoritarian takeover intensifies every day. But we must remember that authoritarian governments worldwide have not withstood a challenge by 3.5% or more of its people. MoveOn can reach, train, organize, and support at a scale unparalleled in the progressive movement—which we need now more than ever. Will you make a monthly donation today to power this urgent and critical organizing?
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