Jimmy Kimmel Live! was abruptly pulled off the air last week after parent company ABC received pressure from the FCC and station owners nationwide. Now, less than a week later, the network is set to reinstate the long-running late night show.
“Last Wednesday, we made the decision to suspend production on the show to avoid further inflaming a tense situation at an emotional moment for our country,” Disney said in a statement on Monday, per The Wrap. “It is a decision we made because we felt some of the comments were ill-timed and thus insensitive. We have spent the last days having thoughtful conversations with Jimmy, and after those conversations, we reached the decision to return the show on Tuesday.”
Kimmel’s show was pulled on Wednesday, September 17, due to comments he made surrounding the death of Charlie Kirk and Donald Trump’s reaction.
“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,” Kimmel said last Monday before showing a clip of Trump brushing off questions about his friend’s death.
Disney and ABC were hit with a barrage of backlash after their decision was revealed with thousands of subscribers cancelling their streaming plans, and tourists rearranging travel itineraries to avoid their popular theme parks. The company reportedly lost more than $3 billion in the following days.
Over 400 Hollywood stars signed an open letter with the American Civil Liberties Union, slamming the network and defending free speech.
