Sarah McLachlan just cancelled a concert in solidarity with Jimmy Kimmel and the right to free speech
How the US premiere of Lilith Fair: Building a Mystery turned into a corporate cold shower
Toronto director Ally Pankiw’s latest film, Lilith Fair: Building a Mystery, about the groundbreaking music festival started by singer-songwriter Sarah McLachlan in the ’90s, got a warm reception at TIFF and is now airing on CBC Gem in Canada. It also launched in the US on Disney Plus on Sunday—but the LA premiere was a lot less splashy after McLachlan pulled the plug on the red carpet and musical performances that were supposed to accompany the movie’s launch.
Related: An unfettered roundtable with the queer mafia of Canadian filmmaking
Disney (which owns ABC) has faced heavy pushback this past week for suspending Jimmy Kimmel Live after comments Kimmel made about the assassination of conservative commentator Charlie Kirk. In her opening remarks, McLachlan avoided naming Disney or Kimmel outright, but she did say, “I’ve grappled with being here tonight and around what to say about the present situation that we are all faced with, the stark contraction to the many advances we’ve made, watching the insidious erosion of women’s rights, of trans and queer rights, the muzzling of free speech.” She later added, “I apologize if this is disappointing, but we have collectively decided not to perform but instead to stand in solidarity in support of free speech.”
Related: Did a University of Toronto professor get suspended over comments about Charlie Kirk?
McLachlan isn’t the only one taking a stand against Disney. Over 400 celebrities signed an open letter from the American Civil Liberties Union backing Jimmy Kimmel; Olivia Rodrigo and Mark Ruffalo have taken to social media to share their outrage, and the Disney Plus website has been crashing due to mass subscription cancellations. According to Tribune magazine, Disney’s stock has taken a $3.8-billion nosedive due to the growing boycott movement against the brand.
And the pressure seems to have paid off. Just six days after cancelling Jimmy Kimmel Live “indefinitely,” ABC announced late Monday afternoon that the show would be back on the air by Tuesday.
