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Misha Collins, mostly remembered for his character in the TV series Supernatural, has now said he is canceling his Disney Plus subscription. This very post earned some comments from his followers, some defending Disney, others siding with his. The actor and well-known charitable establishment of lesser CW shows gave no direct express comment, but only brief statements about his “Indefinite” intention. Yet, the timing certainly seems to correlate with the new developments about Jimmy Kimmel LIVE! and the corporate witch hunt of Disney.
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Answering came fast. They were split. “Because of Jimmy losing the show or because Jimmy said some insensitive things? I legit don’t know your feelings,” one Twitter user posted, setting off a frenzy of responses not entirely sure what had mad Collins take this step.
The second was the more humorous one, commenting, “Sounds like a job for Team Free Will,” referring to the trio from the show who often fought against corporate and supernatural entities.
Some responses were unsupportive; some said it was just for show, with one user exclaiming, “The most hilariously Reddit thing I’ve ever read,” and another followed with a rebuttal of “lol no you’re not” to the cancellation threat.
Undeniably, a lot of the responses took on a political tone. One brought up another recent Disney controversy, asking, “Should’ve cancelled when it came out Disney was paying for sex change surgery and medication for minors,” while another said, “cancelled it when they cast a black Ariel,” sarcastically hinting at the casting of the live-action Little Mermaid.
Several were off-mark accusing everyone else of hypocrisy and selective outrage. Another response quoted, “Celebs spreading lies and division had to stop eventually. People aren’t buying it. They don’t want to be spoken down to by people reading off an auto cue,” accusing celebrities of having had their political grandstanding go out of vogue with the average person.
The discussion spilled over into a wider discourse on free speech and comedy. “I don’t think any comedian should be punished for any joke. That applies to both liberal and conservative comedians. You don’t have to like them…you don’t have to watch them,” one user stated.
The artist has come no further to adjudicating the issue publicly. Collins is one of those with a history with and penchant for quarrels with Disney on the streaming front. He crossed over various Disney-related projects and other events in the past, so this public cancellation has come with weight in entertainment circles.
The mixed reaction made aware of an actual cultural split in which, too often, picking an entertainment venture turns political. Whether Collins will indeed follow through with that threat remains to be seen? Or has that all been another one of those “let-it-go moments” for social media? one-great thing the conversation, steered by Collins, says about the current attitude of audiences toward corporate media and celebrity activism. This is a topic he has touched on before, including when he sent a powerful Pride message with his co-stars.
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Because politics are now so intertwined with screen content, decisions like that of Collins are fast becoming emblematic of the budding consumer culture that overtly translates subscription decisions into acts of protest or endorsement. What you watch and where you watch it has certainly become an issue beyond being a mere entertainment preference amid the ever-evolving entertainment landscape. This was also highlighted when Jimmy Kimmel announced a Brooklyn return with a free ticket offer.