Jimmy Kimmel’s late-night profession could have been hanging by a thread even earlier than his fiery monologue about Donald Trump and Charlie Kirk despatched shockwaves by way of Hollywood and Washington. Earlier this week, ABC introduced that “Jimmy Kimmel Dwell!” was being positioned on indefinite hiatus following Monday’s monologue. Now, nevertheless, a number of insiders say ABC was already weighing whether or not to push the comic out as his contract neared its finish.

The “Jimmy Kimmel Dwell!” host solely had months left on his cope with Disney, and talks had been anticipated to start later this yr. However sources instructed Web page Six the community was critically contemplating ending Kimmel’s run after this season, together with his more and more outspoken political commentary giving them the proper excuse to chop ties early.

“Bob Iger doesn’t wish to be at warfare with Donald Trump proper now, simply as he has stabilized Disney,” one insider revealed. “Perhaps the uproar is so loud Jimmy can’t come again.”

One other Hollywood supply steered that if Jimmy Kimmel had been mulling retirement, the controversy may change his plans. “Kimmel could not even wish to depart, simply so he can piss Trump off! If he was considering of retirement, he most positively will keep put now.”

Disney hit the brakes on Jimmy Kimmel, figuring the one strategy to douse the MAGA-fueled firestorm was to get him off the air till the noise died down. However the timing couldn’t be worse, each main participant concerned has authorities offers hanging within the steadiness.

Based on Selection, Nexstar, which yanked Kimmel’s present from its lineup, is chasing a $6.2 billion takeover of TV large Tegna, a transfer that wants FCC approval. Sinclair simply kicked off a “strategic overview” of its empire, which may imply mergers and gross sales that additionally fall beneath the feds’ watch.

And Disney? They’ve obtained their very own monster offers within the works, slicing the NFL in for a ten% slice of ESPN and attempting to scoop up majority management of Fubo to marry it with Hulu’s live-TV platform. Principally, no one’s trying to tick off regulators proper now.

Over on “The Day by day Present,” Jon Stewart couldn’t resist leaping into the Kimmel firestorm. Often, solely behind the desk on Mondays, Stewart popped up midweek to sub in for Desi Lydic, and he made certain his pal Jimmy obtained some love. Stewart went full throttle with the irony, joking that viewers had been now watching the “all new, government-approved” model of the late-night hit. The announcer even performed alongside, hyping him because the evening’s “patriotically obedient host.”

From there, Stewart skewered the Trump crowd with sarcastic reward, scolding the viewers anytime they dared chuckle at his over-the-top pandering. At one level, he quipped that the present was being taped within the “crime-ridden cesspool that’s New York Metropolis,” earlier than including, “somebody’s Nationwide Guard ought to invade this place, am I proper?”

Over at “The Tonight Present,” Jimmy Fallon saved issues brief however honest when it got here to his late-night rival. Throughout Thursday’s monologue, Fallon admitted he was simply as at midnight as everybody else. “To be trustworthy with you all, I don’t know what’s occurring. Nobody does,” he instructed his viewers. “However I do know Jimmy Kimmel, and he’s a good, humorous, and loving man. And I hope he comes again.”

Fallon then promised to maintain the remainder of his monologue enterprise as traditional, however in a sly nod to the controversy, anytime his Trump jokes obtained near touchdown, an announcer jumped in to smother the punchlines with over-the-top reward.