Disney’s Kimmel Suspension Triggers 1.7M Subscriber Losses, Ratings Rollercoaster
Disney’s decision to suspend Jimmy Kimmel prompted calls to boycott the company.ABC/AFP via Getty Images
A Sudden Wave of Cancellations
Disney is facing a fresh headache in the wake of its handling of Jimmy Kimmel. According to data first reported by The Handbasket newsletter, more than 1.7 million subscribers across Disney+, Hulu, and ESPN+ cancelled their memberships between Sept. 17–23 — the period when Jimmy Kimmel Live! was suspended.
The cancellations represented a 436% increase above Disney’s normal churn baseline. Social media users amplified the exodus, sharing screenshots of their cancellation confirmations under hashtags calling for boycotts.
The Suspension That Sparked It
ABC pulled Jimmy Kimmel Live! on Sept. 17, two days after the host’s pointed monologue on the Sept. 10 assassination of conservative activist Charlie Kirk.
In the segment, Kimmel accused right-wing figures of “desperately trying to portray this individual who killed Charlie Kirk as anything other than one of their own, and doing everything possible to leverage this for political advantage.”
The comments triggered backlash from affiliates and political figures alike. Sinclair Broadcast Group and Nexstar Media Group — which together control roughly a quarter of ABC’s reach — announced they would refuse to air the program. And FCC chair Brendan Carr suggested the agency could take “remedies” against Disney, language many critics called dangerously close to censorship.
Hollywood Pushes Back
Kimmel’s suspension sparked immediate outcry from Hollywood unions and creatives, who framed the move as government-pressured censorship. Writers’ guilds, actors’ groups, and even late-night rivals rallied to his defense.
Within days, Disney reached a deal to reinstate the program. Still, affiliates initially refused carriage, leaving the show unavailable to nearly 25% of households during its first nights back. Only on Sept. 26 did Sinclair and Nexstar relent, widely interpreted as the result of Disney flexing leverage tied to lucrative sports and primetime rights.
More than 1.7 million paid subscribers of Disney streaming apps including Disney+, Hulu and ESPN.Getty Images
Record Ratings, Then a Crash
Kimmel’s Sept. 23 return drew 6.5 million total viewers — the show’s biggest live audience in over a decade. Clips of his monologue went viral, pulling tens of millions of views across YouTube and social platforms.
But by Sept. 25, the numbers fell sharply. According to Nielsen:
- Total viewership dropped to 2.3 million by Thursday, a 64% decline.
- Adults 25–54, the key advertising demo, collapsed 73%, from 1.7 million on Tuesday to 465,000 on Thursday.
- Adults 18–49 fell from 1.2 million on Tuesday to 334,000, also a 73% slide.
The drop highlights the challenge of turning a cultural flashpoint into sustainable late-night momentum.
The 1.7 million cancellations represented a 436% increase above baseline subscriber churn, according to the report.M. Scott Brauer/ZUMA / SplashNews.com
Streaming Pain Meets Price Hikes
The streaming cancellations may sting more than the ratings dip. Disney’s direct-to-consumer strategy is under intense scrutiny from Wall Street, and subscriber churn of 1.7 million in a week underscores how politically charged controversies can bleed into the business.
Adding fuel: Disney is preparing price hikes across its platforms in October.
- Disney+ Premium (ad-free) will rise from $16 to $19.
- Disney+ ad-supported plan will jump from $10 to $12.
- The Disney+/Hulu bundle with ads goes from $11 to $13.
- Hulu + Live TV with ads climbs from $83 to $90 — a $7 increase.
With subscriber discontent already running hot, analysts warn the timing of price increases could amplify churn.
Affiliates and Leverage
The showdown also resurfaced longstanding tension between networks and affiliates. While Sinclair and Nexstar’s preemptions grabbed headlines, Disney’s negotiating hand was strong: ABC controls Monday Night Football, college football, and primetime hits. Affiliates risked breach-of-contract fights and lost ad revenue if they continued to defy carriage obligations.
By Friday, both groups reversed course. Still, the episode highlighted how local station groups can act as political actors — and how fragile network-affiliate relationships remain in the streaming age.
The report first appeared in The Handbasket newsletter over the weekend.
The Bigger Picture
The Kimmel saga demonstrates how quickly a cultural controversy can cascade into real business impact:
- Creative risk: Late-night thrives on provocation, but political jokes can trigger disproportionate blowback in today’s polarized climate.
- Affiliate power: Local station groups still hold sway, but their leverage is constrained by network rights.
- Streaming vulnerability: Disney’s direct-to-consumer portfolio is exposed to cultural boycotts at scale, even among audiences who may not watch Kimmel at all.
- Pricing pressure: Layering major price hikes on top of boycotts risks intensifying subscriber anger
What Happens Next
Kimmel is back on air, but whether Disney can stabilize both ratings and subscriber churn remains unclear.
Analysts say the host’s suspension may ultimately strengthen his cultural standing, framing him as a free-speech figure. But the sharp ratings drop suggests his audience may spike for big moments without holding in the long term.
For Disney, the immediate challenge is broader: proving to investors that its streaming platforms can withstand political headwinds while sustaining profitability.
Bottom Line
A monologue about Charlie Kirk triggered ABC’s suspension of Jimmy Kimmel, affiliates rebelled, and the FCC rattled sabers. The fallout spilled into Disney’s most important business line, costing it more than 1.7 million streaming subscribers in less than a week.
Now the show is back, the affiliates have blinked, and Kimmel has resumed his desk — but the episode leaves Disney facing an uncomfortable truth: in 2025, late-night jokes don’t just move ratings. They can move markets.
