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Credit: Inside the MagicOn September 23, Jimmy Kimmel Live! returned to the air following a near-week-long suspension after the Emmy-winning host made comments about Donald Trump and the assassination of Charlie Kirk. Shortly after Mr. Kimmel’s comments, both Sinclair Broadcasting and NexStar Media announced they were pulling his show from their affiliate stations. Not long after that, Disney and ABC said they were pulling Jimmy Kimmel Live! from the air indefinitely.
The move sparked an incredibly intense backlash against Disney, with angry fans protesting outside the Burbank studio, and multiple Disney stars encouraging fans to cancel things like their Disney+ subscriptions and Disney vacations.
Related: Sinclair Broadcasting Won’t Let Jimmy Kimmel Back on Its Airwaves Tuesday Night
Shortly after Mr. Kimmel’s suspension, it was reported that Kimmel, his legal team, and Disney executives were meeting and trying to come to an agreement to bring back Jimmy Kimmel Live! During that time, Disney’s stock dropped more than 2% — approximately $4.4 billion — and Disney+ crashed as angry subscribers canceled their plans.
Fans were thrilled when Disney announced on September 22 that the show would be returning on September 23. In a statement, Disney said that it decided to suspend the show following comments it felt were “insensitive”. However, after “having thoughtful conversations with Jimmy,” the network chose to bring the show back.
Sinclair Broadcasting and NexStar have continued to refuse to air the show, which equates to approximately 20% of the country being unable to watch. Sinclair has told Mr. Kimmel that he would need to meet certain requirements if they were to air the show, including apologizing to the family of Charlie Kirk, as well as donating to the family and Charlie Kirk’s organization, Turning Point U.S.A.
Related: ‘The View’ Finally Speaks on Jimmy Kimmel’s Suspension, “No One Silences Us”
Jimmy Kimmel’s return sparked a huge increase in viewership numbers, and his opening monologue has more than 20 million views on YouTube.
While many people on the right, including Donald Trump, were angry at Kimmel’s reinstatement, there is one actress and comedian who feels that Disney and ABC have an extreme double standard — former Roseanne star, Roseanne Barr.
In 2018, Barr was fired by Disney after sending out a tweet saying that former Obama advisor Valerie Jarrett looked like a combination of “the Muslim brotherhood & Planet of the Apes.” Barr was called out for her tweet and blamed it on the fact that she had taken Ambien, a sleep aid, before she took to social media.
Her series, Roseanne, which had been rebooted, was then cancelled, and its stars — with the exception of Barr — returned for a spinoff called The Conners.
Related: Roseanne Barr Slams Bob Iger, Calls Him “So Racist”
On Tuesday, September 23, Ms. Barr sat down for an interview on NewsNation and spoke out about being fired by Disney and why she felt Jimmy Kimmel being brought back was a “double standard.”
“It just shows how they think. I got my whole life ruined, no forgiveness, all of my work stolen, and called a racist for time and eternity, for racially misgendering someone.”
She then called out Kimmel, who called Barr racist after her tweets.
[Kimmel] called me a racist even though I said repeatedly, which they repeatedly censored, that it was a mistake. I thought that the woman was a white woman from Iran.”
Related: ABC Legend John Goodman Sadly Reveals Former Costar Doesn’t Speak to Him
Ms. Barr also pointed out that Kimmel called her racist, but he, in fact, wore blackface in his former sketch comedy series, The Man Show, while impersonating basketball player Karl Malone. The show ran on Comedy Central from 1999 until 2004.
In 2020, Kimmel addressed the controversy, apologizing to those he “genuinely hurt or offended by the makeup I wore or the words I spoke.”
While Jimmy Kimmel Live! is back on the air, Disney and ABC are not in the clear. Donald Trump has threatened to go after the network, saying he was going to “test” them. Some Disney shareholders have also requested documentation surrounding Disney’s decision to suspend the show, saying they felt the choice was made in favor of “improper political or affiliate considerations.”
Do you think that Disney has a double standard when it comes to their choice to fire Roseanne Barr and reinstate Jimmy Kimmel? Do you think that Ms. Barr’s comments crossed a bigger line than Mr. Kimmel’s? Were you angry when Disney fired Roseanne? Share your thoughts on this ongoing controversy with us in the comments!