After a week-long suspension by Disney (NYSE:DIS), Jimmy Kimmel is set to make his return to late-night TV on Tuesday.
Jimmy Kimmel Live! was pulled off the air last week after he said slain conservative activist Charlie Kirk was murdered by “one of them” implying that alleged Kirk assassin Tyler Robinson was affiliated with Kirk’s conservative base.
“We hit some new lows over the weekend with the MAGA gang desperately trying to characterize this kid who murdered Charlie Kirk as anything other than one of them and doing everything they can to score political points from it,” Kimmel said on September 15.
His remarks were immediately addressed by ABC’s parent company, Disney (NYSE:DIS) with an indefinite suspension.
“We made the decision to suspend production on the show to avoid further inflaming a tense situation at an emotional moment for our country,” Disney said. “It is a decision we made because we felt some of the comments were ill-timed and thus insensitive.”
Disney’s response drew criticism from free speech advocates from both sides of the political aisle, with many calling for a boycott of Disney (NYSE:DIS) and its streaming service, Disney + (DIS). In the days following Kimmel’s suspension, Disney (DIS) shares lost 5% of their value.
Additionally, Disney (DIS) was reportedly faced with having to choose between returning Kimmel to his 11:35pm ET time slot or its multi-billion-dollar partnership between the National Football League and ESPN. Sources cited by The New York Post suggested the Trump Administration could torpedo the ESPN-NFL deal should Disney (DIS) decide to reinstate Kimmel.
In the end, the company decided to put Kimmel back on the air.
“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 company said in a statement on Monday.
Disney (DIS) shares perked up on the news, trimming some of its intraday loss, though still 1% in the red.
Related tickers: Comcast (CMCSA), Fox (FOX) (FOXA), Paramount Skydance (PARA).
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