Jimmy Kimmel & Disney Are Plotting a Comeback for the Suspended Show
Suspended earlier this week, Jimmy Kimmel Live! remains in limbo as Disney executives and Kimmel’s team hammer out return terms; ABC has yet to make the call.
Jimmy Kimmel is off the air, Disney is in damage-control mode, and nobody seems close to a fix. Here is where things stand with ABC yanking 'Jimmy Kimmel Live!' and the behind-the-scenes scramble to figure out if and how the show comes back.
Where things stand right now
Disney executives and Kimmel's team have been holding multiple virtual meetings about the show's suspension and what a return would look like. No decision yet. The talks kicked off after Disney pulled the plug right before taping on September 17, following backlash to Kimmel's September 15 monologue.
"It's an ongoing discussion, with a lot of distrust on one side. There's no light at the end of the tunnel - yet."
What triggered the suspension
Disney Entertainment co-chair Dana Walden personally told the show to stop production. Soon after, Nexstar said it would not carry the program across its ABC affiliates, and ABC called 'Jimmy Kimmel Live!' preempted indefinitely.
This all traces back to Kimmel's remarks tied to a claim about a fatal shooting involving Turning Point USA founder Charlie Kirk. Important context: that claim does not match verified reporting; Kirk is alive. The internet did its internet thing anyway, and the fallout hit fast.
The pressure points (and the weird inside-baseball part)
Outside the corporate bubble, supporters protested at Disney's headquarters and at the show's Hollywood studio, framing the suspension as a free speech issue. Inside the media-regulator bubble, FCC Commissioner Brendan Carr, a Trump appointee who has been vocal about what he sees as censorship in tech and media, publicly cheered the suspension on X and floated the idea of investigations after Kimmel's remarks. Carr also gained attention in 2024 for his alignment with conservative policy circles around Project 2025, which took aim at diversity and inclusion efforts.
Disney infighting spills into the open
Not everyone at Disney is thrilled with how leadership handled this. Some executives are reportedly frustrated with CEO Bob Iger and Dana Walden for, in their view, bowing to political blowback. One exec compared the mess to the company's 2022 'Don't Say Gay' controversy, calling this version "like Don't Say Gay on steroids."
Creatives are weighing in too. Damon Lindelof and Tatiana Maslany criticized the move, with Maslany even canceling her Disney+ subscription.
How fast could Kimmel return?
There is no timeline. The talks are active, but trust is shaky and the conditions for a return are still being hashed out. For now, the show remains dark.
- Sept 15: Kimmel's remarks spark backlash tied to an online claim about Charlie Kirk.
- Sept 17: Disney pulls 'Jimmy Kimmel Live!' just before taping; Dana Walden delivers the order.
- Afterward: Nexstar says it will not carry the show on its ABC affiliates; ABC labels the show preempted indefinitely.
- Protests pop up; FCC Commissioner Brendan Carr weighs in on X and talks investigations.
- Inside Disney, execs vent about Iger and Walden; talent like Damon Lindelof and Tatiana Maslany speak out, with Maslany canceling Disney+.
Bottom line: Kimmel wants back on the air, Disney wants the heat to die down, and both sides are trying to find terms they can live with. Whether that happens quickly, or at all, is still very much up in the air.