Jimmy Kimmel is reportedly negotiating to continue his late-night talk show, Jimmy Kimmel Live!, after it was pulled from the air.
Kimmel, 57, and Disney, which is the parent company for ABC that airs the talk show, are “working toward reaching a compromise,” according to Variety. The outlet cited multiple sources, who claimed that Kimmel’s team is discussing ways to bring back Jimmy Kimmel Live! with the network executives after it was preempted.
Neither Kimmel nor Disney have publicly addressed whether Jimmy Kimmel Live! will make a comeback. Us Weekly has reached out for comment.
Us confirmed on Wednesday, September 17, that Kimmel’s show had been pulled from ABC’s TV lineup.
Jimmy Kimmel’s Show Pulled From ABC ‘Indefinitely’: Everything to Know
“Jimmy Kimmel Live! will be preempted indefinitely,” a spokesperson for ABC told Us.
News broke that Kimmel’s show was put on pause after Nexstar Media allegedly threatened not to air broadcasts on its affiliate stations. The media company said in a statement that it “strongly objects to recent comments made by Mr. Kimmel concerning the killing of Charlie Kirk” and planned to replace Jimmy Kimmel Live! with alternative programs.
Kirk, a right-wing political activist and founder of Turning Point USA, was shot and killed earlier in September at the age of 31. Days later, Kimmel used his Monday, September 15, monologue to accuse conservatives of reaching “new lows” to prove that Tyler Robinson, who is in jail for Kirk’s murder, was part of the far-left movement.
“The MAGA Gang [is] 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. “In between the finger-pointing, there was grieving.”
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Kimmel’s comments soon sparked outrage from Brandon Carr, the chairman of the Federal Communications Commission. (The FCC is an independent agency in the United States, which regulates communications by radio, television and cable.)
“We can do this the easy way or the hard way,” Carr said on The Benny Show, advocating for Kimmel’s suspension. “These companies can find ways to change conduct and take actions on Kimmel, or there’s going to be additional work for the FCC ahead.”
Kimmel has not publicly addressed Carr’s comments or his show being pulled from the broadcast slate. His fellow TV host David Letterman, however, has hinted at the comedian’s mindset during this time.
“I have heard from Jimmy. He was nice enough to text me this morning,” Letterman, 78, said at the Atlantic Festival in New York City on Thursday, September 18. “He’s sitting up in bed taking nourishment. He’s going to be fine.”
