Here's How Many Subscribers Disney+ Lost After Jimmy Kimmel's Suspension

For nearly one week, fans of the Emmy-winning late-night show, Jimmy Kimmel Live!, were unable to watch. This was because, on September 17, Disney announced that it was pulling the show from the air “indefinitely.” Disney made that decision after its two largest affiliate broadcasters, Sinclair Broadcasting and Nexstar Media, announced they would not air the show due to comments Jimmy Kimmel had made about Donald Trump and the assassination of Charlie Kirk.

Disney’s choice to pull the show was met with widespread backlash from fans, who came in droves to protest outside Disney’s studio lot in Burbank, California. Angry fans also canceled their Disney vacations and vowed to boycott the company until it reversed Mr. Kimmel’s suspension.

Jimmy Kimmel hugs Guillermo on Jimmy Kimmel Live — Credit: ABC

Almost immediately after his suspension, Mr. Kimmel and his legal team met with Disney to begin discussions on how to get the show back on the air. Sinclair Broadcasting had told Kimmel that he would need to meet a certain set of demands if he wanted his show back on their airwaves, including apologizing to Charlie Kirk’s family, as well as donating money to the Kirk family and Kirk’s organization, Turning Point USA.

Five days after his suspension, Disney released a statement saying that it was reinstating Mr. Kimmel and that it initially chose to suspend the show after Mr. Kimmel made comments the company felt were “ill-timed.”

While Sinclair and NexStar initially stood firm and refused to air the show on their more than 60 affiliate broadcast stations, both companies backtracked on September 26. Sinclair even appeared to take back the demands it originally required of the comedian.

Credit: Video Screenshot, ‘Jimmy Kimmel Live!’, ABC

During Mr. Kimmel’s suspension, dedicated Disney fans were not the only people who were upset with the Mouse House. Disney stars, including Marisa Tomei and Tatiana Maslany, voiced their disappointment, but also took things a step further. On social media, they encouraged their followers to boycott all things Disney, including their subscriptions to Disney+ and Hulu.

Fans listened, and as a result, many of them attempted to cancel their Disney+ subscriptions simultaneously, causing the website to reportedly crash.

And now, we know just how many angry customers said adios to Disney and its streaming services.

Credit: Disney+

According to a new report from The Handbasket‘s Marisa Kabas, Disney lost nearly 2 MILLION subscribers in just five days following Mr. Kimmel’s suspension.

SCOOP / UPDATE — Disney saw more than 1.7 million total paid streaming cancelations during the period 9/17-9/23, a Disney source confirms to me. The total includes Disney+, Hulu and ESPN.

Furthermore, Ms. Kabas confirmed that Disney’s biggest factor in bringing Mr. Kimmel back was its planned price increase to Disney+.

NEW — I wrote about my confirmed scoop from last night that Disney hastened Kimmel’s return because of a planned Disney+ streaming price increase announcement coming on Tuesday

SCOOP / UPDATE — Disney saw more than 1.7 million total paid streaming cancelations during the period 9/17-9/23, a Disney source confirms to me. The total includes Disney+, Hulu and ESPN.

— Marisa Kabas (@marisakabas.bsky.social) 2025-09-29T17:19:55.663Z

On September 23, the same day Jimmy Kimmel Live! returned to the airwaves, Disney announced that there would be price increases to its standalone Disney+ subscriptions, as well as its bundles, which included Disney+, Hulu, and ESPN. Disney+ and Hulu bundles that include HBO also saw price increases, which are set to begin this month.

When he returned to the air, Kimmel even made a joke about the cancellations. He read a “statement” provided by Disney, instructing viewers on how to reinstate their Disney+ subscriptions. However, as of right now, we do not know how many people reactivated their accounts following his reinstatement.

Does it surprise you that so many people canceled their Disney+ subscription in response to Jimmy Kimmel’s suspension? Do you think even more people will cancel before the price increase takes effect? How do you think Disney should respond to threats from the Trump administration and the FCC in the future? Did you cancel your Disney+ subscription during the controversy? Share all your thoughts with us in the comments!