Jimmy Kimmel Live! Gets Official Return Date As Disney Wisely Reads The Room

Hooray for common sense. After Disney helped launch an unprecedented attack on free speech by pulling comedian Jimmy Kimmel and his late-night show "Jimmy Kimmel Live!" off the airwaves, the company is officially walking back its controversial decision only days later. The move prompted a fierce and relentless amount of backlash almost immediately, as industry figures in politics and entertainment alike united in disgust and outrage over what was widely described as state-sponsored censorship. Thankfully, the company appears to have read the room and decided to dial things back. According to The Hollywood Reporter, Disney (which owns the ABC network that Jimmy Kimmel previously called home) has announced the news that Kimmel will return to his show on Tuesday, September 23, 2025, following "thoughtful conversations" with the host. As the company explained in a statement:

"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."

The abrupt about-face is the latest (and hopefully last) chapter of this saga, which kicked off with Kimmel's comments on air regarding Republican party members' attempts to politicize the recent shooting death of right-wing podcaster Charlie Kirk. This was followed by pressure enacted by the Federal Communications Commission (FCC), essentially threatening ABC and Disney as a whole with unspecified regulatory consequences should "Jimmy Kimmel Live!" remain on the air. Broadcast conglomerate Nexstar Media subsequently doubled down, announcing their intentions to "pre-empt airings" of the show unless Disney took matters into its own hands. Cue a wave of calls to boycott Disney, with various public figures adding their names to open letters and other organized efforts to right this obvious wrong.

All's well that ends well ... right? Not so fast. The indefinite suspension of "Jimmy Kimmel Live!" had the potential to mark a stark dividing line in the history of the country. Never before has a sitting President and the head of the FCC (Brandon Carr, a known ally to the President) united to squash free speech that they happened to disagree with along political lines, and never before has an entire company capitulated with as much speed and willingness as Disney did — at least, not in the United States. Mounting backlash began to paint this as a possible legacy-maker (or, more accurately, legacy-ruiner) for Disney CEO Bob Iger, which makes the fallout of Disney's reversal a crucial aspect to watch in the coming days and weeks.

What does this mean for "Jimmy Kimmel Live!," however? In the short term, Kimmel's staff get to return to work with only minimal disruption (in terms of time, that is) rather than a possibly prolonged or even permanent work stoppage — a key point of contention from Kimmel's camp as he strove to get his show back on ABC, according to various reports. But as for whether Sinclair, ABC's largest affiliate group, will similarly follow Disney's lead and return the late-night show to its local ABC affiliates continues to be an open question. Sinclair previously vowed not to unless Kimmel issued a formal apology and made a financial donation to Charlie Kirk's non-profit organization, Turning Point USA. Depending on what Sinclair and NexStar decide, "Jimmy Kimmel Live!" may not be fully available across the country except online.

As for Kimmel, THR reports that his contract expires at the end of 2026. Rumors have swirled of a potential retirement, though it's currently unknown how the events of the past week or so may influence his own thinking in this regard. For now, "Jimmy Kimmel Live!" will return to ABC tomorrow — though in what capacity remains to be seen.