ABC reinstates Kimmel amid Disney backlash

LOS ANGELES, CALIFORNIA - SEPTEMBER 22: A demonstrator holds a sign during a protest against the suspension of the "Jimmy Kimmel Live!" show, held across the street from the theater where the show is produced in Hollywood, on September 22, 2025 in Los Angeles, California. A contingent of Hollywood union members, along with Democratic members of the House of Representatives, participated in the event "to defend Americans' constitutional right to free speech.” Kimmel's ABC late-night show has been "indefinitely" taken off the air following controversy over his comments about the killing of Charlie Kirk.

It’s ‘unclear whether Kimmel will offer an apology upon his return’

(Image credit: Mario Tama/ Getty Images)

published 23 September 2025

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.

The Week

Escape your echo chamber. Get the facts behind the news, plus analysis from multiple perspectives.

SUBSCRIBE & SAVE

https://cdn.mos.cms.futurecdn.net/flexiimages/jacafc5zvs1692883516.jpg

Sign up for The Week's Free Newsletters

From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox.

Rafi Schwartz has worked as a politics writer at The Week since 2022, where he covers elections, Congress and the White House. He was previously a contributing writer with Mic focusing largely on politics, a senior writer with Splinter News, a staff writer for Fusion's news lab, and the managing editor of Heeb Magazine, a Jewish life and culture publication. Rafi's work has appeared in Rolling Stone, GOOD and The Forward, among others.