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- Jimmy Kimmel returned to ABC after a suspension over controversial comments.
- Kimmel praised Disney execs, especially Dana Walden, for their support during the suspension.
- Walden is a potential successor to Disney CEO Bob Iger, adding weight to Kimmel’s praise.
Jimmy Kimmel praised Disney execs, reflecting on the recent suspension of “Jimmy Kimmel Live!” and had especially kind words for potential Bob Iger successor Dana Walden.
“I don’t think the result would have been as positive if I hadn’t talked to Dana as much as I did,” he said of Disney’s entertainment co-chairman. “It helped me think everything through and where everyone was coming from.”
The long-running late-night host spoke during the Bloomberg Screentime media conference on Wednesday.
Comments about Walden have particular significance these days, as she’s widely considered to be a strong contender to succeed Disney CEO Bob Iger when he leaves the role next year.
“I happen to love Dana Walden very much and think she’s done a great job, and what’s happened over the last three weeks was very unfair to my bosses; it was insane,” he said.
Jimmy Kimmel returned to the air September 23 with an emotional monologue that took aim at the chair of the Federal Communications Commission, Brendan Carr, and President Donald Trump while seeking common ground with conservatives defending free speech.
He also praised ABC for letting him stretch the boundaries of traditional late-night, even when it made them uncomfortable, and poking fun at leaders. He also admitted he “was not happy” when ABC pulled him off the air.
“I did not agree with that decision, and I told them that, and we had many conversations,” Kimmel said.
ABC had made the call the week before to pull the late-night television star from the air after Kimmel’s comments about Charlie Kirk’s death and Trump. His remarks had drawn backlash from the FCC’s Carr, and the ABC affiliate station owners Nexstar and Sinclair said they wouldn’t air the show. He returned to Disney to huge ratings, and the station groups restored Kimmel to their ABC stations a couple of days later.
Kimmel also mused about the possibility of having none other than President Donald Trump as a guest.
“‘I’d love to have Trump on the show, for sure,” he said.
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