It goes without saying that Jimmy Kimmel and his eponymous talk show have been the talk of Hollywood over the past week or so. Kimmel was pulled from the air by ABC (and parent company Disney) after making comments related to the man who murdered political pundit Charlie Kirk. Earlier this week, though, the House of Mouse reversed the decision, and Kimmel’s series has since been reinstated. Much has been said about the reasoning for the initial suspension, but it seems safety also factored into the matter.
Bob Iger’s decision to cut Kimmel came on the heels of FCC chairman Brendan Carr suggesting on a podcast that ABC’s broadcast licenses could be revoked due to the host’s comments. Sources spoke to CNN and alleged that after Carr shared those sentiments, many of Kimmel’s employees began receiving death threats. Not only that, but staffers also reportedly had their phone numbers and email addresses doxed and spread across social media channels.
With all of that, the insider went on to say that Disney the situation ultimately expanded past Jimmy Kimmel himself and into the safety and well-being of his colleagues. Simultaneously, it’s also said that Brendan Carr’s comments – which purportedly set off the drama – presented a true reason for execs to be concerned. One unnamed person said Carr’s sentiments represented a “real, serious threat.” Meanwhile, a TV producer – who doesn’t work for the House of Mouse – summed up the situation like this:
There is no more terrifying circumstance for a broadcast entity than the threat of an FCC fine, or worse, that the agency could move to revoke the stations’ broadcast licenses.
Although employee safety was reportedly one reason why Disney and ABC decided to pull the plug on Jimmy Kimmel Live! for a while, certain parties still were not happy. Sources previously alleged that high-ranking members of the company were not pleased with CEO Bob Iger and entertainment chairman Dana Walden deciding to suspend Kimmel. Not only that, but big names in Hollywood supported Kimmel as well, with Tom Hanks, Meryl Streep and over 400 stars even signing an open letter that denounced his suspension.
It was announced this past Monday, September 22, that Live! would come back on the 23rd and, upon its return, the show earned strong ratings. The show amassed around 6.3 million viewers, per CNN, despite still being pre-empted by broadcast companies Nexstar and Sinclair in some markets.
While the show is now back on the air, there still could be some legal ramifications. Disney stakeholders are requesting documents containing information about the handling of Jimmy Kimmel’s suspension. These entities – like Reporters Without Borders and the American Federation of Teachers – have taken action to search for evidence of possible wrongdoing, mismanagement of the suspension. This also includes potential breaches of Disney’s fiduciary responsibilities.
All that aside, as far as the public knows, employees at Jimmy Kimmel Live! are getting back to their routines, as the show airs amid the 2025 TV schedule again. Hopefully, employees won’t have to worry about any death threats or releases of their personal information moving forward. For those who want to check out the show, know that it airs weekly, Monday through Friday, at 11:35 p.m. ET on ABC, and it’s available to watch with a YouTube TV subscription as well.
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