Jimmy Kimmel returned to the set of his late night show Tuesday night, his first show on air after Disney and ABC pulled "Jimmy Kimmel Live!" last Wednesday due to comments about President Donald Trump and his reaction to the Sept. 10 killing of conservative podcaster and activist Charlie Kirk.
Broadcasters Sinclair and Nexstar refused to air the show on their stations, while Trump threatened another lawsuit against ABC. Disney also plans to raise streaming prices again starting next month.
ABC and Disney pulled the show following Kimmel's monologue on Sept. 11, which included controversial comments about finger pointing in the immediate aftermath of Charlie Kirk's assassination. Kimmel also prodded Trump over portions of his reaction to questions about the killing. Kimmel's comments drew a quick backlash from the president and other Republicans.
Federal Communications Commission Chair Brendan Carr, a Trump cabinet pick, in a Sept. 17 interview with right-wing podcaster Benny Johnson, threatened that the agency could take action against the broadcast licenses of ABC-owned stations.
"They have a license granted by us at the FCC, and that comes with it an obligation to operate in the public interest," Carr said. He emphasized the FCC's stance by saying, "We can do this the easy way or the hard way," and adding "these companies can find ways to take action on Kimmel, or there is going to be additional work for the FCC ahead."
Disney and ABC pulled "Jimmy Kimmel Live!" on Sept. 17. Trump praised the decision online, calling it "Great News for America." He also suggested that NBC remove the late night shows headlined by Jimmy Fallon and Seth Meyers.
But the decision to pull Kimmel was also met with backlash. Political leaders, Hollywood celebrities and fans of the show argued it was an attack on the First Amendment and free speech.
Kimmel Returns To Disney, Some ABC Stations
Disney on Monday announced Kimmel's show would air again, starting on Tuesday.
"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," Disney said in a statement reported by CNBC. "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 have reached the decision to return the show on Tuesday."
Sinclair and Nexstar Media Group declined to air the show's restart on their company-owned stations. The two broadcasters combined own and operate more than 60 ABC affiliates that reach 22% of U.S. households, according to the Wall Street Journal. Sinclair on Monday said that it will be preempting "Jimmy Kimmel Live!" across its ABC affiliate stations and replacing it with news programming. Discussions are ongoing with ABC as Sinclair evaluates a potential return.
Sinclair joined Nexstar, which announced on Sept. 17 that it will preempt Kimmel's show "for the foreseeable future," following Kimmel's monologue remarks. Nexstar is currently seeking FCC approval for its planned $6.2 billion merger with Tegna. Tegna owns about 5% of ABC's affiliate stations, according to reports.
Trump was unhappy with Kimmel's return, taking to Truth Social to air his grievances and threaten a lawsuit.
"I can't believe ABC Fake News gave Jimmy Kimmel his job back. The White House was told by ABC that his Show was Cancelled! Something happened between then and now because his audience is GONE, and his 'talent' was never there," Trump wrote. "He is yet another arm of the DNC and, to the best of my knowledge, that would be a major Illegal Campaign Contribution. I think we're going to test ABC out on this. Let's see how we do. Last time I went after them, they gave me $16 Million Dollars. This one sounds even more lucrative. A true bunch of losers!"
ABC News in December agreed to pay $15 million toward Trump's presidential library and $1 million in legal fees to settle a defamation lawsuit over comments made by anchor George Stephanopoulos on the "This Week" program.
Stephanopoulos erroneously asserted that Trump was found civilly liable for raping writer E. Jean Carroll. Trump was actually found civilly liable for sexual abuse. A federal appeals court earlier this month rejected Trump's appeal in both the sexual abuse and defamation rulings.
The appeals court also upheld the jury's order for Trump to pay over $83 million to Carroll.
Disney To Hike Streaming Prices
Amid all the broadcast drama, Disney on Tuesday announced price increases for its streaming services.
Starting Oct. 21, the stand-alone Disney+ plan with ads will increase $2 to $11.99 per month. The premium ad-free version will jump $3 to $18.99 monthly, or a $30 hike for the annual package to $189.99 per year.
Ad-supported packages for the Disney+ and Hulu bundle will rise by $2 monthly. Both bundles that include Disney+, Hulu and ESPN will increase by $3 per month. Subscriptions for the Disney+, Hulu and HBO Max package will also increase by $3 per month.
Pricing for NFL+ plans will remain the same.
The move marks the fourth year in a row that Disney has raised prices for its streaming platforms.
Disney Stock
Disney shares had slipped more than 2% after the canceling of Kimmel's show on Sept. 17 through Wednesday's close. The move left DIS stock testing August lows, as it works its way through a consolidation that began in June.
Disney shares are up less than 2% this year.
Sinclair shares are down almost 10% for the year. The stock popped 3.4% on Tuesday, and have climbed 22% from an August low. But shares continue to face resistance at the chart's 40-week moving average.
Nexstar stock is down about 3% since Sept. 17, but is still up nearly 26% so far this year. Shares are forming a flat base with support at the stock's 10-week moving average.
You can follow Harrison Miller for more stock news and updates on X/Twitter @IBD_Harrison
