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lite.cnn.com - on gopher - inofficial | |
ARTICLE VIEW: | |
‘Jimmy Kimmel Live!’ crew will be paid next week, as future of show | |
remains in limbo | |
By Elizabeth Wagmeister, CNN | |
Updated: | |
11:51 PM EDT, Fri September 19, 2025 | |
Source: CNN | |
Jimmy Kimmel’s staff will continue to be paid for the time being, as | |
over the future of “Jimmy Kimmel Live!” | |
The program was abruptly “pre-empted indefinitely” on Wednesday | |
amid controversy over comments Kimmel made in a about Charlie Kirk’s | |
suspected killer. The decision was announced hours after the Trump | |
administration official responsible for licensing ABC’s local | |
stations publicly pressured the company to punish Kimmel. | |
Two sources close to Kimmel’s show told CNN that the crew for the | |
late-night show will be paid through next week, while the future of the | |
program remains in limbo. | |
“Jimmy Kimmel Live!” employs a staff of roughly 200 to 250 | |
individuals, operating out of a theater in Hollywood. Kimmel is said to | |
be incredibly mindful of his staff, as he weighs his options during | |
ongoing discussions with ABC. | |
This isn’t the first time Kimmel has had his staff front of mind. | |
During the WGA strike, which shut down Hollywood productions in 2023, | |
Kimmel provided funds for his crew when production on his show was | |
halted. When production was shut down again during wildfires in Los | |
Angeles earlier this year, “Jimmy Kimmel Live!” used its Hollywood | |
backlot as a donation center to collect and distribute resources to | |
those impacted by the disaster. | |
A source familiar with Kimmel and Disney’s discussions previously | |
told CNN that Kimmel met with top ABC executives this week at the | |
Century City office of his attorney, along with his manager, to discuss | |
a possible path forward with his show. No resolution has yet been | |
reached. | |
Disney is “hopeful” to find a path forward to bring Kimmel’s show | |
back, another source told CNN earlier this week. | |
Both parties – Disney and Kimmel – need to reach an agreement with | |
how to continue the show following the “real, serious threat” of | |
ABC losing its local broadcast licenses, the source said at the time. | |
Amid right-wing uproar over Kimmel’s comments regarding the | |
politicization of Kirk’s assassination, Disney executives spoke | |
directly to Kimmel on Wednesday afternoon after appeared on a | |
conservative podcast. | |
“We can do this the easy way or the hard way,” Carr said. “These | |
companies can find ways to change conduct and take actions on Kimmel, | |
or there’s going to be additional work for the FCC ahead.” | |
Then a substantial number of local affiliates owned by Nexstar and | |
Sinclair announced that they would not air Kimmel’s show. | |
ABC executives had conversations with Kimmel about “taking down the | |
temperature,” according to the source. Kimmel declined to change his | |
prepared monologue for Wednesday night’s show, which the source | |
described as taking aim at Fox News and Trump’s MAGA base. That’s | |
when Disney CEO Bob Iger and Disney Entertainment co-chairman Dana | |
Walden made the decision to pre-empt Kimmel’s show indefinitely, in | |
hopes of discussing how to move forward with the host and comedian. | |
“Everyone deeply values him and wants him to come back. But he has to | |
take down the temperature,” the source familiar told CNN earlier this | |
week. | |
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