ABC, the Disney darling that’s dominated daytime drama for decades, is hemorrhaging its A-list in a seismic “unprecedented revolt” that’s got Hollywood howling and the entertainment empire teetering on its throne. On September 25, 2025, a tidal wave of talent from The View, Grey’s Anatomy, and Dancing with the Stars announced their defection to NBCUniversal in multi-million-dollar deals, unleashing a collective “ABC can kiss our ass!” battle cry that’s detonating 12 million X posts and spiking NBC’s stock 8%. “Old wounds of censorship, mistreatment, and hollow promises” have boiled over, per a scathing joint statement from the defectors, exposing a “toxic” network culture that’s favored “corporate cowards” over creative courage. Whoopi Goldberg, 70 and The View‘s verbal volcano, leads the charge: “They silenced us one too many times – NBC’s our new home, where voices roar free.” Ellen Pompeo, Grey’s Grey Sloan siren, follows with a $15 million Peacock pact: “Shonda’s legacy? Not chained to Disney’s desk.” The “media power struggle”? A massacre: ABC’s Q3 ratings cratered 22% amid the Kimmel Kirk controversy (suspension fallout), while NBC’s The Tonight Show and SNL lure with “liberty clauses” in contracts
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The revolt’s roots? Rotten: Insiders to Variety spill a saga of “suppressed stories” – The View‘s Joy Behar axed a Trump takedown in 2024 for “optics,” Pompeo’s Grey’s arc gutted for “diversity quotas” in 2023, and DWTS pros like Derek Hough muzzled on vaccine vax views. “Hollow promises” hit hard: Disney’s $8B Paramount merger (July 2025) slashed budgets, canceling The Rookie spinoffs and benching The View‘s Sunny Hostin for “overtime optics.” NBC’s lure? Lucrative liberation: Goldberg’s $20 million Today guest arc, Pompeo’s Wolf crossover, Hough’s SNL skit directing gig. “They offered freedom – ABC offered fear,” a defector dished to THR. The “consequences”? Cataclysmic: ABC’s Q4 ad revenue projected to plunge 30%, The View‘s 2.5 million average dipping to 1.8 million post-announcement. NBC? Nirvana: The Tonight Show demos up 15%, Peacock subs spiking 25%.
The defectors’ decree? Defiant: “We’re not leaving – we’re liberated,” Goldberg thundered at a September 26 presser, flanked by Pompeo (“Shonda’s with us”) and Hough (“Dance free!”). Socials? Supernova: #ABCKissOurAss blasts 15 million posts, “Revolt of the righteously raged!” vs. Disney defenders’ “disloyal divas.” Bob Iger? Incensed: A leaked memo to execs rages “betrayal on a biblical scale,” with lawsuits looming for “non-competes.” The “power play”? Paramount: NBC’s $2 billion content coup (streaming synergy with Universal) vs. ABC’s “desperation deals” (rumored Kimmel extension at $25 million, sans affiliates). The View‘s Whoopi walkout? A wake-up: “Censorship’s the killer – we choose voice.” Pompeo’s pivot? Poetic: “Grey’s was home – NBC’s horizon.” Hough’s hop? Harmonious: “Stars align where stories soar.”
This isn’t talent tantrum; it’s a tectonic shift, ABC’s “kiss our ass” uprising a requiem for rigid regimes. The stars’ stand? Seismic. The industry’s inferno? Ignited. September 25? Not news—a new era. Fans flood with fealty; the fallout? Ferocious. ABC’s altar? Altared. NBC’s nest? Nesting. The revolt? Relentless. The future? Freed.
