Overview

• ABC and Disney pulled Jimmy Kimmel Live! on September 17 just hours before taping following public warnings from FCC Chair Brendan Carr.
• Kimmel says he learned of the move by phone from ABC executives in his dressing room and described the exchange on Stephen Colbert’s show.
• The program returned September 23, with major affiliates Sinclair and Nexstar restoring carriage by September 26 after initial preemptions.
• The latest YouGov/Economist poll finds Kimmel at +3 net favorability versus Trump at −13, and 55% say Kimmel’s comments did not justify canceling the show.
• Kimmel’s return drew 6.3 million TV viewers, and his comeback monologue racked up tens of millions of views across YouTube and Instagram.