Jimmy Kimmel is shedding some light on the conversations he had with his bosses at ABC and Disney during his suspension last month.
Appearing Wednesday night at Bloomberg’s Screentime event in Los Angeles, the Jimmy Kimmel Live! host said he spent much of that weekend on the phone with Disney Entertainment co-chair Dana Walden and CEO Bob Iger as the company weighed its options.
“I hate to disappoint you, but they were really good conversations,” Kimmel told Bloomberg’s Lucas Shaw. “These are people I’ve known for a long time, and we all wanted this to work out the best way possible.”
Kimmel’s comment marked the first time he has spoken publicly about the behind-the-scenes discussions that followed his brief but high-profile suspension from ABC last month after Kimmel said on his show that “the MAGA gang” was “trying to characterize this kid who killed Charlie Kirk as anything other than one of them,” prompting condemnation from conservative media figures and FCC chair Brendan Carr.
Kimmel’s suspension came after two affiliate groups representing 70 ABC stations told ABC they planned to preempt his show indefinitely. Disney reinstated Jimmy Kimmel Live! less than a week later, with Kimmel returning with an extended monologue that mixed reflection with defiance. His return episode was his most-watched ever.
At Screentime last night, Kimmel said that his original comment that led to his suspension was “intentionally, and I think, maliciously, mischaracterized,” but said the suspension gave him space to think. “I can sometimes be reactionary, I can sometimes be aggressive,” he said. “Having those days to think about it was helpful.” He also called Walden “a great boss” and said the criticism directed at Disney executives over the episode was “very unfair.”
“I don’t think anyone should ever be put in a position like this,” he added. “It is insane, and I hope that we drew a really, really bold red line as Americans about what we will and will not accept… and really hope that that’s what comes out of all of it.”
Kimmel, whose current ABC deal expires next year, declined to say whether he plans to extend his run, but said he remains in active discussions with the network. He also weighed in on the recent cancellation of The Late Show With Stephen Colbert, calling reports of the show losing $40 million annually “nonsense.”
“I know what these shows cost,” Kimmel said. “If we were losing that kind of money, none of us would be on.”
The host said he remains optimistic about the long-term viability of late night, though he believes the budgets will need to shrink. “These shows don’t need to cost $120 million,” he said. “You can do it for less and still make something worthwhile.”
