The Loreen Arbus Foundation President Issues Statement About Jimmy Kimmel's Suspension and Return
Leonard H. Goldenson
LOS ANGELES, Oct. 07, 2025 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- Loreen Goldenson Arbus, daughter of Leonard H. Goldenson, the founder, and President of the ABC television empire for over 30 years, has offered her perspective on the recent suspension, and bringing back of talk show host Jimmy Kimmel.
“Leonard H. Goldenson would be so very proud of Jimmy Kimmel!” says Loreen Goldenson Arbus. “I say this with pride and credibility as his daughter (and myself the former and first female head of programming for two networks).
“The First Amendment’s protections for freedom of the press are foundational to American democracy, ensuring that media outlets can operate without government censorship while fostering public trust through transparent and unbiased dissemination of information. My dad embodied this ideal by envisioning broadcast media as a public trust committed to integrity and full disclosure, rather than personal or partisan agendas. For instance, during the McCarthy era, he deemed it essential for the public to have complete access to the proceedings and insisted on airing the Army-McCarthy hearings gavel-to-gavel on ABC (the only network to do so) despite the significant financial cost, thereby allowing Americans to form their own judgments about a government waging a national witch-hunt.
“To maintain impartiality, my dad never disclosed his own political affiliation, even to his family, as he believed it could unduly influence perceptions and undermine the network’s objectivity in serving the public interest. Furthermore, he vigilantly defended ABC’s independence by repelling multiple hostile takeover attempts, most notably from Howard Hughes in the 1960s, who my dad outmaneuvered by leveraging FCC requirements for a personal appearance. He exposed Hughes’s desire to ‘act as a guy pulling the strings from behind closed doors’ as incompatible with the responsibilities of transparently leading a broadcast network, arguing that such opacity eroded the tenets vital to public trust.
“My dad’s actions underscore how the First Amendment’s promise thrives when media leaders prioritize ethical stewardship over self-interest, a principle increasingly relevant and vital in our fragmented information landscape. We are at a critical juncture where we now face an erosion of public trust in media and institutions, fueled by partisanship, disinformation, and a lack of transparency. To the skeptics and detractors who would undermine or dismiss the role of a free and independent press -- from corporate giants like Sinclair and Nexstar to anyone resisting the First Amendment’s core protections -- the call is clear: we must get our act together, set ideology aside, and recommit to truth and accountability and our foundational American ideals. Rebuilding trust depends on it, and above all, it depends on safeguarding the press as the cornerstone of a functioning democracy.”
Loreen Arbus
Loreen Arbus, author, disability rights advocate, writer, producer, composer, artist, and designer is the President of The Loreen Arbus Foundation, The Goldenson-Arbus Foundation, and Loreen Arbus Productions, Inc. Loreen holds the distinction of being the first woman to head programming for a U.S. network, a feat accomplished twice (both at Showtime and Cable Health Network/Lifetime).
The Loreen Arbus Foundation is dedicated to a wide range of charitable interests, including advocacy for people with disabilities and other marginalized communities; the advancement of women and girls; gender and racial equity in media; the arts; animal rights; scientific and medical research; and the environment. The Foundation establishes and funds scholarships that elevate social consciousness and support initiatives addressing critical societal issues. After all, the largest minority in the world is people with disabilities.
For more information, contact James Grant at JGPR at james@jamesgrantpr.com, or visit www.arbusprod.com
Photos accompanying this announcement are available at
https://www.globenewswire.com/NewsRoom/AttachmentNg/aeb14d45-bbb9-489d-a33c-09c227474aed
https://www.globenewswire.com/NewsRoom/AttachmentNg/c97f261b-301e-467d-a9de-ac1e1baf67cb
Leonard H. Goldenson
Leonard H. Goldenson at a book signing for his autobiography "Beating the Odds"
Loreen Arbus
Loreen Arbus, President of The Loreen Arbus Foundation
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