By Rounak Bagchi

Copyright timesnownews

ABC’s late-night programme, Jimmy Kimmel Live!, is set to return to the air on Tuesday following a brief suspension last week. The move came after the network and its parent company, Disney, pulled the show amid controversy over comments Kimmel made regarding the death of conservative activist Charlie Kirk. A Disney spokesperson told Fox Business: “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. 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 reached the decision to return the show on Tuesday.” Media experts say the suspension highlights the financial stakes for Disney and ABC, particularly in the declining late-night television market. Advertising dollars, already under pressure since 2018, were a key factor in the network’s decision. Also Read: How Jimmy Kimmel’s Suspension Ignites a Broader Free Speech Debate in US Crystal Gorges, a brand expert and publicist, told Fox Business: “ABC and Disney are already under a microscope with the FCC pressure being so public, so viewers can easily connect the dots and interpret a suspension as political compliance rather than a programming decision. Loyal viewers who tune in night after night, or who pay for Disney/ABC bundle subscriptions, could feel like their voices are being silenced. That sense of alienation can quickly snowball into organised opposition, social media movements, or even subscriber cancellations.” Gorges argued that the short-term advertising impact was manageable, but the long-term monetary risk comes from being perceived as yielding to external pressures. Aaron Evans, CEO of media agency Story Group, however argued that the financial consequences of not suspending the show would have been far more immediate. “If ABC hadn’t pulled Kimmel, the financial fallout would have been immediate —advertisers don’t wait out controversies, they walk, and that’s millions in lost revenue,” Evans said. “Advertisers are hypersensitive to controversy because they’re not just buying eyeballs, they’re investing in their brand story. The last thing a brand, especially a major consumer brand, wants, is to see its logo running next to content that half the country finds offensive or insensitive to something as horrible as a political assassination of someone beloved by America’s youth—it creates instant backlash on social media and in the press.” Evans explained that once even a few key advertisers pull out, a domino effect can occur, quickly devaluing a network’s advertising inventory and costing millions. Experts told Fox Business that while ABC and Disney faced criticism for temporarily pulling the show, leaving Kimmel off air would likely have been far costlier in immediate ad revenue, potentially running into millions of dollars lost in just weeks. Get Latest News Live on Times Now along with Breaking News and Top Headlines from US News and around the World.