Mike Pence speaks at the Serving in the Public Square lunch during the Southern Baptist Convention, Tuesday, June 11, 2024 at the Indianapolis Marriott Downtown. The Ethics & Religious Liberty Commission (ERLC) put on the event.

People across the country are calling for a boycott of Disney streaming services after ABC pulled Jimmy Kimmel's show from the air indefinitely on Sept. 17.

Walt Disney-owned ABC confirmed on Wednesday, Sept. 17, that "Jimmy Kimmel Live!" would be pre-empted indefinitely" following comments he made regarding the fatal shooting of conservative activist Charlie Kirk on a Monday, Sept. 15 episode.

The shock move came after Nexstar Media said on Sept. 17 that it would not air episodes of Kimmel's show across its ABC affiliate stations and after Federal Communications Commission Chairman Brendan Carr seemingly threatened ABC, Disney and Kimmel during commentator Benny Johnson's YouTube show.

The decision prompted social media users to post pictures of their cancellation receipts under the hashtags #CancelDisney and #CancelDisneyPlus.

Many of them are critics upset with ABC and, by extension, parent company Disney for silencing criticism of President Donald Trump and his administration at the expense of free speech.

What people are saying on social media as they cancel subscriptions

"Cancel your Disney and ABC subscription for what they did to Jimmy Kimmel. Let them know how pissed off you are!!!!" one user on X wrote on Sept. 17.

"Cancelled my Disney Plus and Hulu bundle. This isn't a slippery slope, it's a cliff, and Disney just went off it," another user on Reddit wrote. "We won't be going to Disney movies. Not anymore. No more parks. No more Star Wars toys and shirts. Nothing."

A Facebook user said they discontinued their Disney Plus account after being a member since 2019 in protest to Kimmel's suspension.

The USA TODAY Network has reached out to the Walt Disney Company for comment about its subscription services.

Celebs call on fans to cancel Disney Plus

Celebrities have also weighed in on the controversy, which include notable Disney actors and public figures such as David Letterman and former Vice President Mike Pence.

Actor Tatiana Maslany, star of the Disney+ series, "She-Hulk: Attorney at Law," called for her more than half-a-million fans on Instagram to "Cancel your (Disney+, Hulu, and ESPN) subscriptions," in a reel she posted to her Instagram account, according to Deadline and Entertainment Weekly.

Former "Supernatural" actor Misha Collins posted on X to his more than 2.6 million followers he would cancel his DisneyPlus subscription "indefinitely."

"It's pretty easy to cancel your Disney+ subscription, and a coordinated, national day of cancellations would send a very clear message about our values as Americans," actor Wil Wheaton posted to BlueSky on Sept. 18.

Why are people canceling Hulu?

Hulu is owned by Disney, the parent company of ABC. People are also calling for a boycott of Hulu under the hashtag #CancelHulu.

What did Jimmy Kimmel say about Charlie Kirk?

Kimmel's comments about Tyler Robinson, the man charged with killing Charlie Kirk, came during his opening monologue on Sept. 15.

“We hit some new lows over the weekend with the MAGA gang desperately trying to characterize this kid who murdered Charlie Kirk as anything other than one of them, and doing everything they can to score political points from it,” Kimmel said.

Conservatives took issue with Kimmel's implication that Robinson was MAGA-affiliated. Authorities have not confirmed a motive for the shooting as of Sept. 19.

Carr, the Trump-appointed chairman of the FCC, called Kimmel's remarks "the sickest conduct possible" on Benny Johnson's show Sept. 17.

Contributing: KiMi Robinson, USA TODAY, Marissa Meador with IndyStar and Midwest Connect reporter Cheryl V. Jackson.

This article originally appeared on USA TODAY: Disney is losing subscribers over Jimmy Kimmel. Why fans say they hit 'cancel'

Reporting by Reia Li, John Tufts and Anthony Robledo, USA TODAY NETWORK / USA TODAY

USA TODAY Network via Reuters Connect