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() The Walt Disney Company announced late-night talk show host Jimmy Kimmel will return to TV after being suspended for remarks he made in a monologue about the assassination of conservative activist Charlie Kirk.
While his Sept. 15 suspension did get support in some circles, it was also met with backlash. Elected officials, celebrities and fellow comedians called Kimmel’s suspension “an attack on free speech.” Some Disney+ subscribers even canceled their plans in response.
All eyes will be on Kimmel as “Jimmy Kimmel Live!” airs Tuesday night to see how he addresses the controversy during his opening monologue. When news broke of Disney’s decision to air the show again, Kimmel’s fellow late-night show hosts like Jon Stewart and Stephen Colbert applauded the decision.
On the other side of the aisle, conservatives criticized Disney for caving. Turning Point USA Executive Director Andrew Kolvet took to social media and said he was not surprised by Disney putting Kimmel back on the air but continued to say it was a mistake.
Conservative commentator Megyn Kelly called out a perceived double standard of “cancel culture” in America, saying “it lasts less than a week for leftists, but a lifetime for the right.”
The possible catalyst for Disney to reverse Kimmel’s suspension was an open letter from the American Civil Liberties Union, which was signed by more than 400 celebrities who condemned the decision and called it “dark and unconstitutional,” and asked all Americans to defend free speech. Some of the big names in that letter included Jennifer Aniston, Meryl Streep, Tom Hanks and Mark Ruffalo.
After Disney decided to suspend Kimmel, Disney’s stock dropped about 3.5% and saw a market value loss of nearly $4 billion, according to The Guardian. As of Tuesday afternoon, the company’s stock rebounded briefly but dipped again and is still in the red.