Jimmy Kimmel Live May Never Return, Staffer Warns

Here is where things stand with 'Jimmy Kimmel Live': a staffer on the show does not think it is coming back, and their reasoning is less about ratings and more about money, politics, and corporate nerves. If that sounds messy, it is.

What a Kimmel staffer is saying

A staff member told the Too Much TV newsletter they do not see a path for the show to return. They point to two big issues: people on the payroll who cannot sit around unpaid, and decision-makers who will never be satisfied no matter what Kimmel does.

• Staffers cannot afford an open-ended pause: the crew gets paid when they work, period. With the show idle, people are already looking for new jobs, which makes a restart harder the longer this drags on.
• The culture-war math: even if Kimmel apologized and wrote a check, the staffer does not believe the folks who pushed for the suspension would accept any resolution.
• Corporate fallback plan: the staffer thinks Disney could decide it is cheaper to buy out Kimmel's contract and plug the slot with reruns of 'Modern Family' and 'Judge Judy,' then convince themselves the storm has passed until the next flare-up elsewhere on the schedule.

"I want to think it will. But I can't imagine a scenario in which that happens... Even if Jimmy was willing to publicly apologize and donate money to whatever ghoulish conservative group that is demanding it... MAGA people will never be happy. It will never be enough."

The staffer also made an unusually direct appeal to the industry about taking care of crew during the downtime.

"If you're in Hollywood and don't want to say anything in support publicly... well, fuck you. But one thing you can do is find a job for one of the staffers who need it right now. Even if it means digging into your own pocket. Spending a little of your own money is the least you can do."

How we got here

According to the newsletter, ABC halted production on Wednesday night after the FCC threatened action against the network and its license, following Kimmel's on-air remarks about the reported death of conservative activist Charlie Kirk. During that monologue, Kimmel went after how the MAGA world was responding.

"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."

As of now, the show is on indefinite pause.

What affiliates are doing instead

Sinclair Broadcasting, which owns ABC affiliate stations in a number of markets (Nexstar does too in others), said that instead of Kimmel's Friday episode, ABC will run a special memorial service for Kirk that other affiliates can also carry. Sinclair is also pushing for Kimmel to apologize and make what it calls a "meaningful personal donation" to Kirk's family and to Turning Point USA.

The studio calculus, according to the staffer

In their view, Disney may decide an exit is simpler: pay out, program reruns, and move on. But, as they put it, that only lasts until the next controversy pops up elsewhere in the daytime lineup, and no one wants to spend their week defending 'The View' either. It is some real inside-baseball thinking, but it tracks with how networks sometimes try to ride out PR fires by going as quiet as possible.

One important note: these claims originate with the Too Much TV newsletter and Sinclair's statements. ABC, Disney, and the FCC have not publicly laid out next steps or confirmed enforcement actions. For now, all we know for sure is the show is paused and the people who make it are bracing for the long haul.