Disney and ABC will bring comedian Jimmy Kimmel back to its schedule starting Tuesday night, after a decision to take his show “Jimmy Kimmel Live” off the air for an indefinite period of time.
In a statement released today, the company said: “Last Wednesday, we made the decision to suspend production on the show to avoid further inflaming a tense situation at an emotional moment for our country. It is a decision we made because we felt some of the comments were ill-timed and thus insensitive. We have spent the last days having thoughtful conversations with Jimmy, and after those conversations, we reached the decision to return to the show on Tuesday.”
Disney’s decision to pull the show came after two major station owners, Nexstar Media and Sinclair, announced they would preempt his program following a Kimmel monologue last Monday.
During that monologue, he offered remarks tied to the death of conservative activist Charlie Kirk – albeit not about Kirk himself but rather speculation about MAGA and President Trump. That drew the ire of the right, who claim he was spreading misinformation and being disrespectful.
Those announcements came after FCC chair Brendan Carr did an interview which was interpreted as him suggesting that broadcasters should curb Kimmel and force ABC to remove him. That includies Nexstar, which needs Carr’s approval soon on a multi-billion dollar merger. Carr appeared at the Concordia Summit on Monday and denied he had threatened to pull licenses of ABC stations if they did not fire Kimmel, saying (via Deadline) that “did not happen in any way, shape or form”. He added his comments in the interview were about raising concerns regarding news distortion.
The removal has been met with global headlines because it has been seen as an act of political compliance and a free speech issue rather than a programming decision by a private company. First Amendment advocates from both sides of politics have slammed the situation in recent days.
The move also drew major protests from the creative community and a backlash from the public, with campaigns popping up calling for the cancellation of Disney+ accounts. That includes 400 celebrities – such as Tom Hanks and Martin Short – who signed a letter from the American Civil Liberties Union decrying what was done as a blow to free speech in America.
Even today, reaction to the release of “The Mandalorian and Grogu” trailer has been dominated by discussion about Kimmel who is entirely unrelated to the new “Star Wars” film beyond the Disney connection.
Reports also emerged on the weekend claiming the removal had hurt Disney’s stock price. Kimmel’s return has been approved by Bob Iger, Disney’s CEO, and Dana Walden, co-chair of Disney Entertainment. However, it becomes a question of whether ABC affiliates will carry it.
Sinclair Broadcast Group says they still plan to preempt the show, but says that its talks with the network are ongoing. Sinclair is responsible for a significant chunk of broadcast distribution and the largest number of ABC affiliates among station groups.
As for whether Kimmel will be toned down in his monologue, one source tells Deadline: “Jimmy will say what Jimmy wants to say”. Late night hosts like David Letterman and Bill Maher have had to tender apologies for remarks that offended.
Kimmel’s current contract with ABC is expected to end in 2026, and people familiar with the host’s thinking say he’s been mulling stepping down from the role at some point in the near future.
