Overview

• ABC pulled Jimmy Kimmel Live! on September 17 after affiliates Nexstar and Sinclair pre-empted the show following Kimmel’s remarks about the killing of Charlie Kirk; Disney/ABC reinstated the show on September 23 and full affiliate carriage returned on September 26.
• An Economist/YouGov poll conducted September 26–29 found Kimmel with net favorability of +3 (44% favorable, 41% unfavorable) versus President Trump at -13 (41% favorable, 54% unfavorable), with most respondents saying Kimmel’s comments did not justify canceling the show.
• Nielsen data show Kimmel’s first night back drew roughly 6.3–6.48 million viewers before falling to 1.70 million by October 1, erasing the initial ratings surge.
• The Senate Commerce Committee has requested testimony from FCC Chair Brendan Carr after he said companies could handle Kimmel “the easy way or the hard way,” and Carr has agreed to appear though a hearing date has not been set during the government shutdown.
• Kimmel described learning of the suspension in a same-day call from ABC executives and said he feared the show would not return, recounting the episode in an interview with Stephen Colbert.