ABC Disney Silences Speech, Again! Silence isn’t neutrality, it’s surrender. When corporations police speech to protect profits, democracy withers. The question is whether the people will act before it’s too late. Michael Cohen and MeidasTouch Network Sep 18 Guest article by Michael Cohen. Follow him on Substack for more by clicking here. The American people have a right to decide. It’s the most powerful tool we still have in this country. We get to decide what companies we support, which politicians we tolerate, and what kind of country we’re willing to live in. That decision isn’t just about casting a ballot every two or four years. It’s about where we spend our money, which media outlets we trust, and what we allow powerful corporations to get away with. Right now, Disney and its subsidiaries — ABC, ESPN, Hulu, and the rest — are daring us to look the other way. They’ve made it clear their loyalty is not to the First Amendment, not to the American people, but to their balance sheets. And make no mistake: this latest capitulation was the direct result of presidential pressure. When push comes to shove, profit trumps principle, and the fear of offending the most powerful man in the country dictates what Americans are allowed to see and hear. The flashpoint this week came after Jimmy Kimmel made biting remarks on his late-night show. He mocked the president’s response to Charlie Kirk’s murder, comparing it to how a child reacts to losing a goldfish rather than how a leader mourns someone he called a friend. It was sharp, uncomfortable, maybe ill-timed. But it was also the kind of satire we’ve come to expect from late-night television: cutting through the façade with humor that exposes a deeper truth. Within hours, the machine roared to life. ABC announced Kimmel’s show would be “preempted indefinitely.” Nexstar Media Group, one of the largest broadcast affiliates for ABC, echoed the move, replacing his show across its markets. Not because Kimmel was inaccurate. Not because he endangered anyone. Simply because his commentary was inconvenient. Simply because it rattled the president. That should scare every one of us. And believe me, I know a thing or two about the First Amendment. I lived through having my constitutional rights trampled on. Remember, I was remanded back to FCI Otisville in the middle of a pandemic because I refused to sign away my right to publish a book critical of Donald Trump. My so-called “crime”? Daring to exercise free speech. It took the courage of a federal judge, Alvin K. Hellerstein, to call it what it was: retaliation. In his ruling, he wrote: “I make the finding that the purpose of transferring Mr. Cohen from furlough and home confinement to jail is retaliatory, and is in response to his desire to exercise his First Amendment rights … This cannot stand.” I became the litmus test. I warned America then: I am the first, but I would not be the last. And sadly, I was right. Because once the precedent is set — that those who speak out against power can be silenced or punished — the message trickles down to every newsroom, every boardroom, every citizen wondering whether it’s worth the risk to open their mouth. When a corporation can decide that criticizing the president is too risky for their brand, we’re in dangerous territory. It signals that satire, dissent, even mockery, the lifeblood of democratic discourse, can be shut down if it rattles advertisers or makes the wrong people uncomfortable. The Constitution guarantees free speech, but it doesn’t guarantee that corporate America won’t sell that right to the highest bidder. Now, here’s the uncomfortable truth: this isn’t about Kimmel at all. It’s about power. Disney and its partners are yielding to the president’s relentless pressure, allowing him to shape what can be said, what can be broadcast, and ultimately, what the public is allowed to hear. Their true concern isn’t principle or the First Amendment; it’s self-preservation, shielding profits, and staying on the right side of power. This is not responsibility; it’s compliance dressed as caution, and a warning about how easily corporate fear can silence a nation. And it works, because they assume we’ll forget. They assume we’ll shrug and say, “That’s just business.” But business has consequences. When companies act as political referees under presidential pressure, they shape the public square to serve their interests, not ours. Every preempted broadcast, every silenced voice, chips away at the freedom we all rely on. This is why the American people cannot afford to be passive. We don’t have to let Disney or ABC dictate the boundaries of free speech. We don’t have to subsidize companies that cave the moment controversy strikes. We can stop buying their products, cancel our subscriptions, and send a clear message to advertisers: cowardice will not be rewarded. Money is power, and we still hold it. Yes, one man’s death has inflamed an already divided nation. His killer has been caught and charged, and that chapter of the story will play out in the courts. But the real danger is what happens now — when corporations decide satire is too costly to tolerate, when dissent is too expensive to air. That’s where freedom gets chipped away, not by government decree, but by private boardrooms bending under presidential pressure. This is bigger than Kimmel. It’s bigger than ABC. It’s even bigger than Disney. It’s about whether we, as Americans, are willing to defend the right to speak uncomfortable truths, to mock our leaders, to push back against the powerful without fear that the plug will be pulled the moment someone in a corner office feels queasy. We can’t afford to let them win by default. We can’t shrug and say it’s just the way things are. Because once you normalize silence, once you accept censorship as the cost of doing business under presidential pressure, you’ve already lost more than one late-night show; you’ve lost the very spirit of free expression that keeps democracy alive. The American people have the right to decide. And the question is whether we’ll use them — or surrender them quietly, one distraction at a time, until there’s nothing left but silence where our voices used to be. Meidas+ is a reader-supported publication. To receive new posts and support our work, consider becoming a free or paid subscriber. WE MUST PROTECT OUR FIRST AMENDMENT RIGHTS. RIGHT NOW IS THE TIME FOR YOU TO JOIN THE FIGHT! SUBSCRIBE. READ. SHARE. RESTACK. Michael Cohen Principal of Crisis-X #1 and #8 NYT Bestseller Author Host of The Mea Culpa Podcast Co-Host of The Political Beatdown Former Personal Attorney To President Donald J. Trump Discharged Felon Yeah, I know; you’re tired. This shit is exhausting. Guess what? Me too. But I’ve spent the last eight years throwing punches in the dark so truth could get a little daylight. And now I’m asking you to step into the ring with me. Because if you’re still reading this, you already get it: This isn’t just a newsletter. It’s a rally cry. A war drum. A line in the sand. We are not passive observers of the downfall. We are the resistance. We call out the liars. We drag corruption by the collar into the sunlight. We say the quiet parts out loud; and we don’t flinch. But here’s the truth: I can’t do this solo. Not anymore. The storm is already here. We are standing in it. And it’s wearing stars and stripes like camouflage, preaching “freedom” while it sells fascism at retail. So let me ask you: Are. You. In? Because this is not a scroll-and-forget read. This is a living, breathing, fire-breathing movement; and movements don’t move unless you do. We need to be louder than spin, tougher than propaganda, and impossible to gaslight. That takes more than clicks. More than likes. It takes skin in the game. So if you believe truth matters; if you're sick of the bullshit, if you’re ready to stop screaming into the algorithm and start pushing back with purpose, this is your next step. HERE’S HOW YOU PUT YOUR FOOT ON THE GAS: Become a paid subscriber. Fund fearless, unfiltered journalism that hits back. Share this with the loudest people you know; the ones who never sit down and shut up. Build the community. Amplify the message. Be the damn megaphone. And yeah, Founding Members — the first 240 of you will get a signed, numbered, limited-edition Substack version of Revenge. That’s not just a collector’s item. That’s receipts. Proof you didn’t sit this one out. But let’s be clear: This isn’t about a book. It’s about backbone. It’s about calling out the gaslighters and refusing to be played. It’s about locking arms and saying, "Not. On. Our. Watch." You want to make a difference? Then make it — right now. Because if we don’t fight for truth, no one will. But if we fight together? They can’t drown us out. Let’s be so loud, they wish we were just angry tweets. Let’s be unshakable. Unignorable. Un-fucking-breakable. Let’s go! Meidas+ is a reader-supported publication. To receive new posts and support our work, consider becoming a free or paid subscriber. A guest post by Michael Cohen Principal of Crisis-X #1 and #8 NYT Bestseller Author Host of The Mea Culpa Podcast Co-Host of The Political Beatdown Former Personal Attorney To President Donald J. Trump and Discharged Felon