I Just Found Out The Jimmy Kimmel Live Decision Was So Sudden, Guests Were Actually En Route To The Theater When The Show Went Into Hiatus

The late-night landscape took a major hit this year with the unexpected cancellation of The Late Show with Stephen Colbert. Not long after, ABC stunned viewers by pulling Jimmy Kimmel Live!—but it turns out the audience wasn’t the only group caught off guard. I just found out, via new reports, that the decision to suspend the show was so abrupt that celebrity guests were already en route to the El Capitan Theater when they learned the taping had been canceled.

The news comes from a recent article from CNN, which suggests the stunning move came just hours after FCC Chair Brendan Carr made comments about Kimmel on a podcast. At the time, Carr suggested the agency could go as far as revoking ABC affiliate licenses in response to Kimmel’s recent on-air comments about the public reaction to Charlie Kirk’s death. ABC, which Disney owns, made the call to pull the show mid-production—while staffers were still prepping upcoming episodes and talking with talent reps.

“We are all shell-shocked,” one Hollywood publicist told CNN. Another simply said, “I cannot believe this is real life.”

Wanda Sykes, who was booked as a guest on that night’s show, echoed the disbelief in a video posted to Instagram. “Hi everyone, I’m in a full face of makeup because I was supposed to go over and have a chat with my friend Jimmy Kimmel,” she said, before shifting to a pointed critique of the Trump administration for failing to address international crises like the Ukraine war and the conflict in Gaza, while “ending the freedom of speech in his first year.” She ended her message with a stark plea: “For those of you who pray, now’s the time to do it.”

Meanwhile, audience members were allegedly already lined up outside the Hollywood Blvd. theater when they were told the taping had been canceled. Some had traveled across the country for the experience.

Internally, sources say the decision sent shockwaves through ABC. Jimmy Kimmel has hosted the show for over 20 years, and his wife, Molly McNearney, is not only an integral creative force but also the executive producer and head writer. According to sources close to the production, staffers are not being laid off right now, and Live! hasn’t been officially canceled. However, there’s no clear timeline for the show's return. This state of limbo has led many to bet on whether the host will return to late-night before the 2025 TV schedule ends, or if he'll return at all.

Following ABC’s decision to pull Kimmel off the air, a number of viewers are seemingly canceling their Disney+ and Hulu subscriptions in protest. Users took to social media, sharing screenshots confirming their cancellations with hashtags like #BoycottDisney and #BoycottABCNetwork, citing free speech concerns and frustration with Disney’s handling of the situation. One user even claimed to have canceled a planned Disney vacation.

And it’s not just fans speaking out. Marvel Studios alums—including She-Hulk star Tatiana Maslany, Pedro Pascal, and Mark Ruffalo—have voiced support for Kimmel, with some of them even joining the chorus of voices urging followers to cancel those subscriptions.

Whether the show returns, changes course, or comes to an end is still unclear. But one thing’s sure: the suspension blindsided everyone, from the host to the guests who were already on their way to the studio.