On September 22, Disney announced that Jimmy Kimmel’s show would return on Tuesday following the suspension last week. On Wednesday, Disney subsidiary ABC pulled Jimmy Kimmel Live! off the air “indefinitely,” following the host’s remarks on Charlie Kirk’s murder suspect during the September 15 episode.
Many people from the entertainment industry expressed their solidarity with Jimmy Kimmel. Many accused the company of making the decision under the alleged pressure from the government. The suspension stirred the debate about free speech on the Internet. However, less than a week after the suspension, Disney announced the show’s return and issued a statement in this regard.
“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 statement read.
As the news surfaced on the internet, a flurry of reactions came online. Netizens shared a mixed response to the decision. A user suggested that the decision came after the company suffered billions of dollars.
“aka we lost billions and billions of dollars”
Netizens react to the return of Jimmy Kimmel’s show following its suspension
The decision to continue Jimmy Kimmel Live! came just a week after it was pulled off the air. A user compared this to the “U-turn” Looney Tunes sketch.
“What a u-turn: t’s like a Looney Tunes sketch… sprint off the cliff, look down, then scramble back to solid ground.”
The company’s stock had been plummeting since the suspension, and the company reportedly lost nearly $4 billion. A user pointed this out and called it the reason behind bringing back the show.
“Lost that money and said oh no we are getting him back on air asap LOL”
Another internet user requested a joke on suspension from Kimmel himself.
“I hope he jokes about his own suspension when he comes back.”
Disney announces ‘Jimmy Kimmel Live!’ will return on Tuesday:
— Pop Base (@PopBase) September 22, 2025
“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… pic.twitter.com/llM6BDaRa0
A netizen took a swipe at Disney’s long statement and said that the company didn’t expect a huge backlash from people.
“Yeah All that essay just to say they didn’t expect the backlash The people won this time.”
Another user suggested that upon returning to the show, Jimmy Kimmel shouldn’t apologize.
“I hope he doesn’t even talk about it. No apology no nothing. Just carry on like nothing happened”
Since many were calling the suspension of Jimmy Kimmel’s show a violation of free speech, a user questioned,
“Question for everyone: Is getting fired from your job a violation of your first amendment?”
Many celebrities expressed solidarity with Jimmy Kimmel
Many celebrities expressed their solidarity with the late-night host. On Monday, hours before Disney’s announcement, the ACLU shared a letter condemning the suspension of Kimmel’s show. The letter was signed by more than 400 celebrities, including prominent names like Tom Hanks, Meryl Streep, Selena Gomez, Pedro Pascal, and Olivia Rodrigo, among others.
