Former ESPN host pushes back on Disney's Iger for reportedly urging 'The View' to tone down Trump talk

Fox News

6 days ago

Former ESPN host Jemele Hill called out Disney boss Bob Iger on Saturday for reportedly urging "The View" to tone down their political rhetoric, which is almost always directed at slamming President Donald Trump and his administration.
"Trump is obviously, again, using his position as president to put pressure on these media companies 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," Hill said during CNN's "Table for Five" discussion on Saturday, before suggesting it should be about ratings. "Do the ratings support that you should stop talking about Donald Trump? Probably not."
Multiple Disney sources told The Daily Beast that both Iger and ABC News President Almin Karamehmedovic recently suggested that the all-female daytime talk show panel be less antagonistic on political issues, though the recommendation was reportedly not taken too seriously. Co-host Anna Navarro reportedly pushed back the most forcefully on the suggestion.
"If you are 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's what the women should talk about, whether you like how they discuss it or not," she added.
A source with "The View" confirmed to Fox News Digital these discussions were had, but suggested not all the hosts are in lockstep with Navarro.
"Most hosts agree with the ABC top brass," the source told Fox News Digital. "'The View' is a daytime network talk show and needs to do more than just politics and Trump bashing. This was a welcome direction for many of us."
When asked whether "The View" will ultimately pivot towards less political coverage as the second Trump presidency continues, the source responded, "It's hard to say," but added, "Ignoring Bob Iger seems like a terrible decision."
Another source familiar with the situation said such conversations with talent are normal based on viewer feedback, and that this conversation in particular is about finding a "balance" in topics and reevaluating politics in general, not just stories pertaining to Trump.
On the panel, CNN political commentator S.E. Cupp spoke out against Trump's attack against media companies and acknowledged while she had issues with "The View," she was proud of the co-hosts for standing their ground.
Other CNN panelists, such as Montel Williams, who previously hosted "The Montel Williams Show," said he largely benefited from avoiding politics on his podcasts.
"When he's out of office, what are they going to talk about then?" Williams asked. "I do two podcasts, I try to stay off politics completely, and guess what? My ratings are up, my numbers are up."
"I do think, like, people suffering from MS, people suffering from PTSD, I do things like that because I think that our nation needs to be engaged in other conversations than just what he's [Donald Trump] doing every day. Because talking about him every day, I'm glad the ladies pushed back, but I would like them to take a trip outside of 'The View,'" he added.
Hill also worried about the message the reported pressure from Iger would send to younger journalists.
"To see, and I know that they're not straight journalists necessarily on 'The View,' but it's still representing a journalism body, so if the business that you work for, and again you 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, and it's really leaving our entire industry vulnerable," she said.
Disney did not immediately return a request for comment.