Jimmy Kimmel Live to return tomorrow night, Disney says, as top executives try to stave off more brand damage

The show will go on: Jimmy Kimmel Live is returning to ABC tomorrow after Disney’s Bob Iger and Dana Walden unwisely suspended it last week after being threatened by Donald Trump’s FCC chair, the company announced today.

“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,” a corporate statement distributed through the company’s press list read. “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.”

The statement makes no mention of Nexstar or Sinclair’s capitulation to the Trump regime. Both companies had announced they would preempt Kimmel’s show before Disney/ABC yanked it off the air last week, in a decision that thankfully provoked a ferocious, furious backlash, with even a few on the right wing expressing outright opposition or unease. Writers, directors, actors, and producers loudly condemned the move, with many pledging not to work with Disney unless Kimmel were restored, while many Disney superfans declared their intent to boycott the company and its theme parks.

An unknown but substantial number of Disney customers have canceled their streaming subscriptions, either to Disney+, Hulu, ESPN+, or more than one. Screenshots showing cancellation messages have been a common sight on social platforms.

https://www.nwprogressive.org/weblog/2025/09/jimmy-kimmel-live-to-return-tomorrow-night-disney-says-as-bob-iger-and-top-executives-try-to-stave-off-more-brand-damage.html?jetpack_skip_subscription_popup