Disney's negotiation with Jimmy Kimmel to bring back his show bears no fruit yet, amidst the stock decline

The veteran late-night host Jimmy Kimmel’s alleged insensitive comments on conservative activist Charlie Kirk’s death have sparked controversy, which has even led his show to be pulled from broadcasting. To avoid the incident from growing any further, ABC and Disney announced on Wednesday that the show is being removed from its schedule “indefinitely” because two major TV station groups in the US, Nexstar and Sinclair, have decided to stop broadcasting it.

Disney, which initially stated that ‘’Jimmy Kimmel Live! will be preempted indefinitely,’’ is now finding its way again to bring it back. Jimmy Kimmel and Disney are trying to agree on a deal so that Jimmy Kimmel Live! can come back on ABC. 

No official sources have confirmed it yet. However, according to Variety, Jimmy Kimmel’s team is reportedly in a discussion with Disney and ABC to begin with the continuation of airing its 23rd season, which was abruptly removed from its regular 11:35 pm slot on September 17. 

Whether they would reach a compromise or not is still under wraps, but if both parties agreed to bring the show back, it would definitely bring a lot of tensions with it. Since Kimmel’s comments have already caused trouble, the show also faces potential problems from Trump and the FCC. THR reported that Disney’s stock went down by 7% after its late-night talk show was suspended earlier this week.

The comeback of Jimmy Kimmel Live! is not confirmed yet

No official public statement has been released from Jimmy and Disney discussing the show’s comeback status. Sources warned that there’s no guarantee Jimmy Kimmel and Disney will reach a deal for the show to return, even after its stock goes down. It’s also unclear what Kimmel is willing to agree to or refuse upon ABC’s conditions for hosting Jimmy Kimmel Live! again.

Kimmel, who has been hosting the show since 2003, is worried about the shutdown of the show, according to the reports by Variety. He believes that the shutdown would affect his Los Angeles-based staff and his production team altogether. He is also aware that some crew members are still struggling financially after the Hollywood actors' strikes in 2023.

ABC is for sure affected by Jimmy Kimmel’s suspension, as he was a prominent face of the channel for many years. Oscars and Who Wants to Be a Millionaire were some of the other big events hosted by him. 

What is the controversy all about? 

Charlie Kirk was brutally shot during his speech at Utah Valley University on Monday. Following this tragic incident, the comedian host, Jimmy Kimmel, called out Kirk’s killer as being associated with Trump, contradicting police findings that the suspect held leftist views.

He, in his monologue, said,

"We hit some new lows over the weekend with the MAGA gang desperately trying to characterise this kid who murdered Charlie Kirk as anything other than one of them and doing everything they can to score political points from it.’’

Following this remark, Trump, who often faces criticism from Kimmel, celebrated the decision by ABC to pull the show, whereas FCC Chairman Brendan Carr also criticized the remarks and even warned that the TV networks like ABC, NBC, and CBS must act in the public interest.

What holds in the future for Disney and Jimmy Kimmel’s partnership?

On a podcast with Howie Mandel last week, Kimmel admitted that the network was once worried about his jokes when Disney was trying to buy Fox. He said,

 “If you want a big audience, you don’t want to upset too many people, and I was upsetting a lot of people.”

This isn’t the first time Kimmel’s strong political jokes have caused problems. ABC had earlier asked him to avoid making controversial political remarks, especially about Trump.

For now, it’s still unclear if Jimmy Kimmel Live! will return. Talks between Disney, ABC, and Kimmel’s legal team are ongoing, but no deal has been officially reached yet. Both parties rely on each other, and their partnership is beneficial as Jimmy even hosts many other shows for the channel.