Credit: Video Screenshot, 'Jimmy Kimmel Live!', ABCIt has not been a good week to be The Walt Disney Company. Last week, Disney and ABC announced they would immediately pull Jimmy Kimmel Live! off the air after Mr. Kimmel’s comments about Charlie Kirk and Donald Trump. Disney reportedly made the choice after its two biggest affiliate broadcasters — NexStar Media and Sinclair Broadcasting — said they would not be airing the show on any of their local stations.
The backlash against Disney was swift and unrelenting. They were condemned by the Producers Guild, the Writers Guild, the Screen Actors Guild, as well as some of its most notable stars. In addition, former President Barack Obama and former Disney CEO Michael Eisner addressed the issue, saying that Disney did the wrong thing.
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Within a couple of days of his suspension, Mr. Kimmel’s legal team reportedly met with Disney, and discussions were underway about how to get his show back on the air. One of the biggest roadblocks appeared to come from Sinclair Broadcasting, which issued a list of demands that Mr. Kimmel would have to meet if he wanted to get back in their good graces, including apologizing for what he said.
Mr. Kimmel reportedly told Disney that he would not apologize for his comments, which he said were being “mischaracterized.”
And now, it appears that the two sides have actually come to an agreement.
According to a report from Deadline, Jimmy Kimmel Live! will return to late-night on Tuesday, September 23. Disney further issued a statement, saying it suspended the show due to statements it felt were “insensitive.”
A spokesman said, “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. 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.”
Disney has not revealed if Mr. Kimmel agreed to meet any of Sinclair’s demands.
Related: Jimmy Kimmel’s Removal: Disney’s Business Decision To Take the Late Night Host off the Air
NexStar and Sinclair were not the only ones to go after Disney and Jimmy Kimmel after the host’s comments. Brendan Carr, the chair of the Federal Communications Commission, went on a podcast after Mr. Kimmel’s show and said that Disney could do things “the easy way or the hard way.” He also said that affiliate broadcasters, like NexStar and Sinclair, should refuse to air Jimmy Kimmel Live! or they could also get in trouble with the FCC.
Despite Disney appearing to cooperate with Mr. Carr’s thinly veiled threat, the FCC chair continued to keep Disney in his sights, telling a different podcast that he was considering having the FCC take a look at The View to see if it violated the Equal Opportunity Rule.
Are you glad to hear that Jimmy Kimmel Live! is returning to ABC’s late-night lineup? Do you think the show should have been suspended in the first place? Share your thoughts on the Jimmy Kimmel controversy with us in the comments!