Late-night host Jimmy Kimmel during the Bloomberg Screentime event in Los Angeles, California, US, on Wednesday, Oct. 8, 2025. Photographer: Kyle Grillot/Bloomberg via Getty Images
NEW YORK – According to data from subscription analytics firm Antenna, cancellations for Disney+ and Hulu increased during the month when ABC temporarily pulled “Jimmy Kimmel Live!” from its lineup.
Walt Disney Co. owns the streaming platforms and ABC. ABC pulled the show off the air for less than a week in September in the wake of criticism over his comments related the killing of conservative activist Charlie Kirk.
Antenna is a subscription analytics company that tracks U.S. consumer data. The data excludes subscribers in bundle deals.
By the numbers:
Antenna estimates total cancellations in September were 4.1 million for Hulu and 3 million for Disney+. The “churn rate,” or the percentage of customers that cancel their subscriptions in a specific month, jumped from 5% in August to 10% in September for Hulu. That figure jumped 4% in August to 8% in September for Disney+.
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However, signups were higher in September for both Hulu and Disney+ than the prior five months.
In its most recent earnings report for the quarter ended June 28, Disney reported 183 million Disney+ and Hulu subscriptions.
ABC pulls Jimmy Kimmel off the air ‘indefinitely’
Trial attorney Tre Lovell joins LiveNOW’s Andy Mac to discuss the recent news on ABC pulling the late-night talk show Jimmy Kimmel Live! off the air ‘indefinitely’ after Kimmel made comments about the assassination of conservative activist Charlie Kirk.
Last month, Nexstar Media Group and Sinclair Broadcast Group brought Kimmel’s late-night talk show back to their local TV stations, ending a dayslong TV blackout for dozens of cities across the U.S.
The companies suspended the program on Sept. 17 over remarks the comedian made in the wake of conservative activist Charlie Kirk’s killing. Disney-owned ABC suspended Kimmel the same day, following threats of potential repercussions from the Trump-appointed head of the Federal Communications Commission.
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Kimmel’s suspension lasted less than a week, while the affiliate blackout stood for just over a week.
When Kirk was killed, Kimmel called it a “senseless murder” and shared a message of support for his family and other victims of gun violence on social media, which he reiterated during his Tuesday return.
Kimmel’s original comments didn’t otherwise focus on Kirk. He instead lambasted President Donald Trump and his administration’s response to the killing. On his first show back, the comedian did not apologize, but did say “it was never my intention to make light of the murder of a young man” and acknowledged that to some, his comments “felt either ill-timed or unclear or maybe both.”
He also used a blend of humor and pointed messages to emphasize the importance of free speech.
Ahead of his suspension, Kimmel took aim at the president and his “MAGA gang” of supporters for their response to Kirk’s killing, which Kimmel said included “finger-pointing” and attempts to characterize the alleged shooter as “anything other than one of them.”
These remarks angered many supporters of Kirk — as well as FCC Chairman Brendan Carr, who accused Kimmel of appearing to “directly mislead the American public” with his remarks about the man accused of the killing. He warned that Disney and ABC’s local affiliates could face repercussions if the comedian was not punished.
The Source: The Associated Press contributed to this report. The information in this story comes primarily from subscription analytics firm Antenna, which tracks U.S. consumer data on streaming subscriptions, excluding bundle deals. This story was reported from Los Angeles.
