What happened
ABC said yesterday that “Jimmy Kimmel Live!” will return tonight, ending its “indefinite” suspension after six days. The Disney-owned network benched Jimmy Kimmel’s long-running late-night comedy show last week under pressure from FCC Chair Brendan Carr and station owners Nexstar and Sinclair, following conservative complaints about Kimmel’s quip about President Donald Trump’s MAGA allies trying to politicize the murder of Charlie Kirk.
Who said what
Disney said it suspended “Kimmel Live” to “avoid further inflaming a tense situation at an emotional moment for our country,” but decided to put it back on the air after days of “thoughtful conversations with Jimmy.” Disney’s reversal “represented the highest-profile challenge yet” to Trump’s “escalating crackdown” on his “perceived media critics,” Reuters said. But sources said the “U-turn” was “guided by what was in the entertainment company’s best interest, rather than external pressure from station owners or the FCC.”
Critics from across the entertainment industry and political spectrum expressed alarm about Trump’s use of federal power to erode free speech. But Disney was probably more concerned that “consumers were exercising their own First Amendment rights and ending their subscriptions to the company’s streaming services,” University of New Haven media studies professor Susan Campbell told Reuters.
What next?
It’s “unclear whether Kimmel will offer an apology upon his return or whether affiliate stations across the country will boycott the show,” The Washington Post said. Sinclair said it would broadcast news programming instead while it discussed Kimmel’s “potential return” with ABC; Nexstar declined to comment. Anyone with YouTube access can watch the show online.
Disney decided to reinstate the show after days of ‘thoughtful conversations with Jimmy’
