When Jimmy Kimmel Live! was suspended "indefinitely" last year, ABC released a statement explaining why.
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It read, "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."
Kimmel returned to the airwaves nearly a week after the network's decision. But now, the former CEO of ABC's parent company, Disney, has explained what caused the temporary removal of Jimmy Kimmel from the airwaves.
Was "Jimmy Kimmel Live!" Pulled Because of President Donald Trump?
Kimmel was suspended over a joke he made in his monologue about the alleged killer of conservative pundit Charlie Kirk.
"We had some new lows over the weekend with the MAGA gang desperately trying to characterize this kid who murdered Charlie Kirk as anything other than one of them and doing everything they can to score political points from it," he said.
Not only did this upset President Donald Trump, but Federal Communications Commission Chairman Brendan Carr encouraged broadcasters to preempt the show. This led the network to suspend Kimmel.
As reported by Entertainment Weekly, many analysts said Disney's actions were meant to please the Trump administration. However, Bob Iger, the company's former CEO, says that is a misrepresentation of why Disney did what it did.
"That was not the case," Iger said. "We thought it was in bad taste."
He then added, "We just wanted him to acknowledge that it was an ill-timed and probably inappropriate comment."
The Suspension Hasn't Stopped Kimmel
Back in April, President Donald Trump called for Kimmel to be fired again after a joke he made about First Lady Melania Trump.
During a parody of the White House Correspondents' Dinner, Kimmel said, "Our First Lady, Melania, is here. Look at Melania, so beautiful. Mrs. Trump, you have a glow like an expectant widow."
While the joke was about the couple's age difference, it took on a whole new meaning after a gunman attacked the actual Correspondents' Dinner several days later.
Kimmel wasn't fired. But later that month, the FCC began an early renewal process for Disney's ABC station licenses. Iger later said in the interview that he endorsed the company's decision not to fire Kimmel.
"I'm thoroughly supportive," Iger said, referring to the FCC's early review orders. "It's what we anticipated needing to do if the government's threats turned into action."
