BREAKING: Disney Backs Down, ‘Jimmy Kimmel Live!’ Returning!

It has been a whirlwind of controversy for The Walt Disney Company over the last week. The studio faced an avalanche of criticism after making the sudden decision to take Jimmy Kimmel Live! off the air. The move came in response to comments made by Jimmy Kimmel about Charlie Kirk and Donald Trump, sparking backlash from some of Disney’s largest broadcasting partners.

Almost immediately, the decision drew national attention. Prominent voices in Hollywood and politics weighed in, and the fallout placed Disney in a difficult position. Industry guilds, major celebrities, and even influential figures like former President Barack Obama and former Disney CEO Michael Eisner publicly condemned the company’s choice.

Related: Disney Stock Takes a Hit as Kimmel Suspension Sparks Streaming Chaos

According to reports, Disney originally pulled the show after NexStar Media and Sinclair Broadcasting announced they would not broadcast Jimmy Kimmel Live! on their stations.

Within days of the suspension, however, Kimmel’s legal team began talks with Disney about bringing the program back. Sinclair Broadcasting reportedly presented a list of demands—including a public apology—before the show could return.

Kimmel, for his part, stood firm. He allegedly told Disney he would not apologize, insisting that his comments were being “mischaracterized.”

Related: Discontent Grows as Bob Iger Stays Out of Spotlight During Disney Crisis

Now, an agreement appears to have been reached. According to Deadline, Jimmy Kimmel Live! will return to late-night on Tuesday, September 23.

Disney also issued a formal statement addressing the matter. In the statement, the company admitted that its decision was made “to avoid further inflaming a tense situation,” but the decision had the opposite effect.

A spokesman said, “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.”

Related: Jimmy Kimmel’s Return to TV Comes with a Shocking Set of Demands

At this time, Disney has not confirmed whether any of Sinclair’s conditions were accepted as part of the agreement.

NexStar and Sinclair weren’t the only entities to criticize Disney and Jimmy Kimmel following the host’s controversial remarks. Brendan Carr, chair of the Federal Communications Commission, appeared on a podcast shortly after Kimmel’s broadcast and issued a pointed warning, stating that Disney could either “take the easy path or the hard one.”

He also urged affiliate networks—including NexStar and Sinclair—to pull Jimmy Kimmel Live! from their lineups, cautioning that failure to do so might attract unwanted scrutiny from the FCC.

Although Disney appeared to respond in a manner that aligned with Carr’s implicit warning, the FCC chairman did not let up. On another podcast, he suggested the commission might launch an inquiry into The View, raising questions about whether the show had breached the FCC’s Equal Opportunity Rule.

What do you think of Disney’s decision to bring Jimmy Kimmel Live!? Do you think it was wrong of Disney and ABC to remove him from the airwaves in the first place? Let us know your thoughts on all the Kimmel chaos in the comments!