Elinor Cromwell stood outside KOMO Plaza on Saturday with a sign reading: Stop Mickey-Mouseing around with our rights."
Cromwell, 70, a retired public defender from Seattle, joined at least 100 protesters outside the Sinclair Broadcast Group-affiliated newsroom Saturday morning to protest ABC suspending “Jimmy Kimmel Live!” this week after the comedian spoke about pro-Trump conservatives trying to capitalize on Charlie Kirk’s assassination.
KOMO airs on ABC, a subsidiary of The Walt Disney Company. Neither Sinclair Broadcasting nor Disney responded to requests for comment. Sinclair has long been known for requiring stations such as KOMO to air right-leaning news stories and commentaries.
"I really think that everybody needs to understand we need to do something, not just complain about it," Cromwell said.
Some protesters showed up along Denny Way on Saturday wearing Disney character costumes, and others came with bullhorns and provocative signs. One protester wore Mickey Mouse ears and had black tape over their mouth.
"ABC!" protesters chanted. "America Being Censored!"
Devin Hermanson, founder of Seattle-based advocacy group Defund Musk, led part of Saturday’s protest.
"Oh, we're pissed," said Hermanson, 59, of Seattle, as attendees cheered at honking cars. "We may be peaceful, but we are pissed."
Hermanson and organizers are encouraging people to cancel their Disney+ subscriptions and boycott ABC to hit the media conglomerate where it hurts.
"We're trying to send a really strong message to Disney and other companies that it is more expensive to bend the knee to Donald Trump than it is to fight," Hermanson said.
Molly Melbye, a Seattle-based homemaker, showed up waving a sign shaming ABC. She came with her husband Matthieu Maitre, their 2-year-old son and their dog Sugar to protest.
"I want my kid to know that we tried," Melbey, 49, said as her husband fed the tot a snack. "I want him to know that we care, and this is what it takes to keep your rights intact."
Saturday’s protest marked Debbie Humann’s 55th rally since February, she said. She believes ABC made a "cowardly choice."
"All of us are in fear of losing our rights to free speech," said Humann, 67, of Edmonds.
Kirk's death by gunfire at a campus speaking event in Orem, Utah, has sparked free speech concerns on both sides of the aisle. Republican lawmakers and activists have demanded consequences for anyone who speaks negatively about him.
"If you look at what (Kimmel) said, he didn't really say anything about Kirk," Hermanson said. "He was talking about MAGA politicians and Trump."
Kirk's nonprofit conservative advocacy group, Turning Point USA, has launched several fundraising campaigns in his honor.
Unlike print or digital outlets, TV and radio stations operate on federally regulated airspace. The Freedom Forum, a First Amendment nonpartisan activist organization, wrote in a blog post that ABC can fire Kimmel as a private employer, but it "raises broader First Amendment questions because of the potential coercion by the FCC."
Trump celebrated Kimmel's suspension on his social media platform, Truth Social.
"Great News for America: The ratings challenged Jimmy Kimmel Show is CANCELLED," he wrote. "Congratulations to ABC for finally having the courage to do what had to be done. Kimmel has ZERO talent, and worse ratings than even Colbert, if that’s possible. That leaves Jimmy and Seth, two total losers, on Fake News NBC. Their ratings are also horrible. Do it NBC!!! President DJT."
Sinclair announced plans to air a special honoring Charlie Kirk in Kimmel's time slot, but decided against it late Friday.
As protesters rallied for Kimmel at KOMO Plaza, Wendy Smith said she was concerned free speech rights were evaporating before her own eyes.
"Free speech is the cornerstone of our democracy," said Smith, 59, a mental health therapist from Seattle. "And if we don't have free speech, I don't think we have democracy."
Material from The Seattle Times archives was included in this report.
Correction: An earlier version of this story misstated the status of "Jimmy Kimmel Live! As of Saturday, the show had been indefinitely suspended.
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