Jimmy Kimmel Has Been Pulled From the Air, but Can He Sue Disney for the Decision?

The news that Jimmy Kimmel's late night show was being pulled off of the air indefinitely by ABC naturally became a pretty major news story on Sept. 17. Kimmel's show was reportedly pulled from the air for comments he made about Charlie Kirk's shooting, and it's unclear whether his show will be canceled, or whether he's going to be fired or decide to leave ABC.

Given the sudden nature of the decision, though, some are also wondering whether Kimmel might have any sort of legal recourse. Here's what we know.

Kimmel has yet to make a public statement about his removal from the air, but some already believe he should consider pursuing a lawsuit against his employer over the incident. While Jimmy Kimmel is certainly allowed to sue anyone whenever he wants (it's a free country, at least for now), what's less clear is whether his lawsuit would be successful in court, at least according to the lawyers of Reddit.

Wrongful termination lawsuits are common, but Kimmel has not yet been fired over the comments. He could also sue ABC for breach of contract, but if they agree to keep paying him, he probably won't do that.

So, at least for now, any lawsuit would be unwise on Kimmel's part, and if he chooses to leave ABC of his own accord over this action, it probably would not be possible for him to win in court.

If Kimmel is ultimately fired from ABC, though, and he can find a way to prove that he was fired due to pressure from the government, he could have a winning suit on his hands. Of course, proving that the decision was made because of government pressure and not for other reasons would be exceedingly difficult, as ABC can always say that Kimmel's show was canceled for financial reasons. The sudden nature of his suspension does strengthen Kimmel's case, though.

All of this is contingent on what happens to Kimmel and his show over the next few days. If Kimmel's show is canceled, he could go down a very different path than if Disney decides to quickly bring it back and put it on the air.

Kimmel's removal from the air came the same day as FCC Chair Brendan Carr told podcaster Benny Johnson that there would have to be repercussions for carriers of Kimmel's show.

“We can do this the easy way or the hard way,” Carr said. “These companies can find ways to change conduct and take actions on Kimmel, or there’s going to be additional work for the FCC ahead.”

President Trump celebrated the move in a post of his own on Truth Social, suggesting that Kimmel was another late-night host he had managed to vanquish. Kimmel might not be gone for good, though, depending on where ABC goes from here.