Reinstating ‘Jimmy Kimmel Live!’ fuels celebration, backlash
Disney and ABC announced Monday that “Jimmy Kimmel Live!” will return to air Tuesday night after a six-day suspension. The late-night host was pulled last week following comments he made about the assassination of conservative activist Charlie Kirk.
The initial suspension sparked immediate backlash. Nexstar and Sinclair, two major broadcasters, also announced they would preempt the show in their lineups. Nexstar told Straight Arrow News their owned and partner television stations affiliated with the ABC Television Network will continue to preempt “Jimmy Kimmel Live!”
Sinclair will reportedly do the same.
ABC said it suspended Kimmel’s show to avoid inflaming a tense national moment. “It is a decision we made because we felt some of the comments were ill-timed and thus insensitive,” the company said in a statement. They added, “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.”
Social media reactions
Reaction to the reversal spread quickly online. Some expressed support for Kimmel and encouraged him not to apologize.
California Gov. Gavin Newsom praised the decision, framing it as a win for free speech.
Ed Krassenstein, one of the early voices calling for a Disney boycott, reposted the news and said, “The protests and boycotts worked!”
Did the boycott matter?
Protests unfolded outside Disney’s Burbank studios and along Hollywood Boulevard, where “Jimmy Kimmel Live!” is taped.
Boycotts also hit Disney’s major streaming platforms, with more than 15,000 Reddit users reacting to a post urging Disney+ and Hulu subscribers to end their service. In the days following Kimmel’s suspension, Disney’s stock prices fell around 2%.
Still, it’s unclear if boycotts can be credited for Disney’s reversal. “Research hasn’t shown that boycotts are all that effective,” Koen Pauwels, a distinguished professor of marketing at Northeastern University, told SAN ahead of the reinstatement.
Pauwels explained that people often turn to boycotts because they feel it is one of the few actions within their control. “Even if it doesn’t get the organization to do what you want, a lot of people feel it’s just out of principle — something that they should do anyway,” he said.
Lingering frustration
Pauwels also noted that companies can reverse decisions but still face long-term backlash. “Even when a company reinstates something, it can leave a bad taste in consumers’ mouths,” he said.
One user echoed that sentiment, writing, “Great..should never have been pulled off the air. Not giving ABC/Disney one dime of my money!”
Other users encouraged people to keep pressuring Disney, arguing that the show’s return only happened because of boycotts. Some conservative accounts called the reversal a “disgrace” and a “P.R. stunt.”
Celebrity and political support
Just hours before the reinstatement, the ACLU released a letter signed by more than 400 celebrities, including Meryl Streep, Selena Gomez and Lin-Manuel Miranda. The letter pushed back against “government threats to freedom of speech.”
Meanwhile, ABC News Studios canceled the red carpet premiere of Lilith Fair: Building a Mystery — The Untold Story. The company did not give a reason, but the cancellation came amid increased scrutiny.
For now, “Jimmy Kimmel Live!” is set to return Tuesday night.
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Ella Rae Greene, Editor In Chief
