TJ Walker discusses large-scale consumer cancellations of Disney and Hulu after Disney briefly suspended Jimmy Kimmel, citing about 3 million Disney cancellations and 4.1 million Hulu subscriber losses—estimated at roughly $300 million—and argues this financial pressure influenced Disney's reversal. He also covers a White House proposal conditioning federal funding on ideological commitments from major universities; eight of nine schools (Brown, Dartmouth, MIT, Penn, USC, University of Virginia, Vanderbilt, University of Arizona) rejected or opposed it while the University of Texas signaled openness. Walker frames both episodes as cultural institutions pushing back against political pressure and notes recent large public protests as further evidence of popular resistance.
Questions this video answers
About 3 million cancellations.
About 4.1 million subscribers.
Roughly $300 million.
Brown, Dartmouth, MIT, University of Pennsylvania, USC, University of Virginia, Vanderbilt, University of Arizona (8 schools).
University of Texas.
Chapters
3 million cancellations to Disney, plus 4.1 million subscribers lost to Hulu. We're looking at $300 million there. So that's a lot of money, and that's what made Disney change its tune. Disney and universities push back on Trump era control. According to the New York Times and the Atlantic, America's cultural and educational institutions are quietly revolting against administration pressure campaigns and paying a price for it. Disney and Hulu saw a wave of cancellations last month after Disney briefly suspended Jimmy Kimmel live for remarks he made about Charlie Kirk's assassination. About 3 million Americans canceled Disney and 4 million dropped Hulu in what became a flashpoint over free speech and corporate free fear of political retribution. At the same time, most major universities, including Brown, Dartmouth, mit, Penn, usc, the University of Virginia, Vanderbilt, the University of Arizona and the University of Texas were offered a White House plan promising preferential federal funding if they agreed to new ideological conditions. The proposal's most controversial clause required required universities to reaffirm that academic freedom is not absolute and to close or defund departments that punish, belittle, or spark violence against conservative ideas. Eight of the nine schools rejected or expressed strong opposition. Only the University of Texas hinted at openness and willingness to cite it. From Disney Studios to America's universities, two great engines of freedom expression, of free expression now find themselves in the same fight, resisting a government push to dictate who speaks, what's funny and what can be taught. Finally, Americans are pushing back against this administration. We see it with all the cancellations of Disney and Hulu. We see it with eight of nine major universities saying, no, we're not going to sign an ideological litmus test just to get cash from Washington. Let's dig a little deeper here. These strands I do think are connected because it does seem like most of this year, no matter how many barriers were broken by this administration, how many norms were slashed, how many separation of power ideals were shredded, there just wasn't much pushback. And now we are finally seeing some pushback. We obviously heard about people canceling Disney and Hulu a month or so ago, and the whole Jimmy Kimmel cancellation thing happened. But now that quantitatively it's come out, 3 million cancellations to Disney, plus 4.1 million subscribers lost to Hulu. Now that's partially owned by Disney. So that's why people would do that. So that's a lot of money. And I don't, I haven't personally subscribed to Disney. I'm assuming it's one of these. That's you know, nine or ten bucks a month, more than 100 bucks a year. We're looking at $300 million there. So that's a lot of money. And that's what made Disney change its tune. That's what made the parent company say, maybe we made a mistake here. We thought our biggest trouble was appeasing the FCC and the administration, but because they could put us out of business. But it turns out if we anger and alienate our customers, that is the viewers, they're going to put us out of business too. So maybe we give them Jimmy Kimmel back. For much of this year, we've seen university after university capitulate to the demands of this administration. And now finally, we're seeing some fight back again. Brown University, it's one of the Ivy League universities. Dartmouth College, another Ivy League school. Mit, equally prestigious. University of Pennsylvania, another Ivy League school. All saying no to the demands of this administration, that they essentially don't say anything to offend conservatives, which in the past has been defined as anything suggesting slavery was bad. Not exactly the mission universities are supposed to be following. University of California, Southern California, a very prestigious school in its own right. I briefly could say accepted me to their law school many years ago. I didn't go, but it's a great school. University of Virginia, University of Arizona, Vanderbilt University and University of Texas, only University of Texas said, sure, whatever you say, we'll sign the dotted line. So that's a bit of a black eye. Now they're a state school in Texas, a very conservative state. They're going to have a lot of political pressures anytime they want to stand up to Trump. So I can imagine that wasn't even debated much at the University of the Texas. But University of Arizona, again, another conservative state, although they do have some Democratic leadership as well, said the plan was incompatible with institutional independence. So we're seeing tensions here. And finally there's some pushback. For so much of what's happened in the last 10 months in this country, the pushing has been one way and then the other side falling over and giving up. And now we are seeing opposition to this idea that, no, we're not all just going to become right wing conservatives overnight. We're not all going to pretend that the only legitimate idea in America is ones endorsed by MAGA or right wing conservative. We are a diverse country with diverse viewpoints and universities of all places should be places where there is diversity of thought. Now, there are some conservative critics who say that, you know, these schools need to be held accountable. They need to have Essentially affirmative action programs for conservatives. And it's quite ironic given how much conservatives claim they're against affirmative action. But then they want to go down and head count how many professors of sociology or English or anthropology at Harvard University are registered Republicans or Democrats. Think about how outraged they would be if the Democrats in Congress or progressives or liberals said, okay, we demand diversity at every police department. From now on, every police department has to have at least half of their police officers registered Democrats who are very much in favor of gun control. Now obviously, if you know anything about police departments in America, they tend to skew more on the conservative Republican side of things. Same with fire departments. Imagine the outrage if Democrats said every fire department has to have half of their firefighters as registered Democrats, or the number of Democrats on a fire department have to be representative of the overall percentage of Democrats in a city or a community. Conservatives would be up in arms saying this is dei, this is quotas. And that is essentially what they're asking for at universities. I mean, it just shouldn't be surprising that certain professions attract certain people of like mindedness. If you are going to be a world class chef at a steakhouse, there's probably a good chance you're not a vegetarian. Are we going to tell the owners of Burns Steakhouse? Okay, from now on, 10% of all your chefs had to be vegetarian? Well, no. Chances are their chefs enjoy meat and like meat. So I'll be keeping an eye on this. I do think this is, this is also tied into what happened this past weekend with the no Kings rally. According to some, the overall number of people protesting could have been as high as 5 or 7 million people. It is by some measures the largest public protest since 1970 in the United States. I know I talked to a lot of people in my circles who were afraid to go to earlier no Kings rallies, one in June, for example, afraid of being targeted, afraid of violence. And many of them told me, tj, you know what, I'm still afraid, but I'm more afraid of what's happening to our country. And people put aside their own personal fears and went and spoke out and demonstrated and showed they have opposition to this country's leadership. And fortunately there, there were absolutely no major signs of violence anywhere and very, very few arrests.
