Jimmy Kimmel is back: What was ABC's financial risk for pulling the show?
Brand specialists say ABC faced a big risk of losing advertiser dollars by keeping Kimmel on the air
By Daniella Genovese FOXBusiness
The Walt Disney Co. has announced ABC’s "Jimmy Kimmel Live!" will return on Tuesday after a brief suspension.
"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," a Disney spokesperson told Fox News Digital.
Experts argue that ABC and Disney put itself in a tough situation by swiftly pulling Jimmy Kimmel's show last week after his remarks about Charlie Kirk's death. Though there is some distance between those who say ABC risks some backlash from viewers and those who say advertising dollars were more critical.
This underscores how the financial fallout for ABC and centers on the importance of advertising dollars for late night television, which has been falling precipitously since 2018.
Disney-owned ABC announced that "Jimmy Kimmel Live!" was suspended indefinitely following his comments about Kirk's death at an event in Utah last week and the administration's response to it. ABC's suspension of Kimmel's show comes in the wake of the recent decision by Paramount, the parent company of CBS, to end "The Late Show with Stephen Colbert" after its current season concludes.
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