ABCJimmy Kimmel Live! has been pulled from the air “indefinitely” by ABC, raising questions about whether the network will do the same with the Who Wants to Be a Millionaire? reboot as it nears the end of Season 4.
Kimmel discussed Donald Trump’s response to Charlie Kirk’s death on the Monday (September 15) episode of his chat show. His comments were later condemned by FCC chairman Brendan Carr, who suggested it could lead to ABC losing its broadcast license.
Nexstar Media Group, which is currently seeking FCC approval for a $6.2 billion acquisition, announced its ABC affiliates would preempt Jimmy Kimmel Live! “for the foreseeable future,” with ABC soon following suit.
The news has been met with a public outcry, with celebrities like Pedro Pascal and former POTUS Barack Obama sharing their support for Kimmel. Right now, his chat show’s future is up in the air, but can the same be said for his role as host of Who Wants to Be a Millionaire?
Is Who Wants to Be a Millionaire canceled?
ABCAt the time of writing, there’s no credible information to suggest Who Wants to Be a Millionaire? is being canceled. ABC hasn’t made any statement about pulling the game show, and there’s nothing confirming that the Season 4 finale is scrapped.
For the uninitiated, in 2020, ABC announced a 20th Anniversary revival season of the hit series, with Jimmy Kimmel taking over as host. The reboot has had three more seasons since then, with Season 4 premiering on July 23, 2025.
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There are eight episodes of the latest chapter, which have been dropping on Wednesdays each week, except on September 10 and September 17 when the show went on a hiatus.
The finale, which has already been filmed, is due to release on a Thursday instead – September 25, 2025 – in its usual 8pm ET/7pm CT time slot.
The reason its arrival has come into question is because Who Wants to Be a Millionaire? is hosted by Kimmel on the same network that pulled his chat show.
If ABC or its affiliates decide to push back on all of Kimmel’s hosting roles, the network might decide to pull the finale. But given that it’s primetime TV, was renewed recently, and the finale is scheduled, it seems more likely that ABC would let Season 4 finish.
This was supported by Puck News reporter Matthew Belloni, who wrote, “ABC source says ‘no plans’ to pull Who Wants to Be a Millionaire, hosted by Jimmy Kimmel. At least not until @BrendanCarrFCC sees this tweet and asks that it be pulled.”
Will Jimmy Kimmel Live return in the future?
Creative CommonsThe answer to this question is unclear, but sources told Bloomberg that executives from ABC’s parent company, Disney, will meet with Kimmel to discuss the future of his chat show.
The news of his program being pulled from the air was met with a huge public outcry, leading to widespread cancelations of Disney-owned streaming services Hulu and Disney Plus and action plans to ‘boycott ABC’ going viral.
Public figures also condemned the move, with Pedro Pascal sharing a photo of himself with Kimmel and writing, “Standing with you @jimmykimmellive. Defend #FreeSpeech Defend #DEMOCRACY.”
Former POTUS Barack Obama said, “This is precisely the kind of government coercion that the First Amendment was designed to prevent – and media companies need to start standing up rather than capitulating to it.”
Multiple late night chat show hosts responded to the news on Thursday (September 18), including Jimmy Fallon, who said, “Well, guys, the big story is that Jimmy Kimmel was suspended by ABC after pressure from the FCC, leaving everyone thinking ‘WTF.’”
Stephen Colbert added on his show, “Tonight, we are all Jimmy Kimmel,” calling the move “blatant censorship,” while Seth Meyers stated, “This is a big moment in our democracy, and we must all stand up for the principles of free expression.”
Jon Stewart switched up his schedule on The Daily Show to host Thursday night’s episode, where he made quips about the FCC, Trump, and Kimmel’s suspension, before speaking with Maria Ressa, 2021 Nobel Peace Prize Laureate, to discuss fighting authoritarianism with truth.
Amid the backlash, three individuals with knowledge on the matter told Bloomberg that Disney would like Kimmel’s show back on the air, but it will “depend on finding a path” that is satisfactory for the host and his critics.
Both parties were due to meet on Thursday, but the outcome of this and whether it went ahead has yet to be confirmed.
The report stated that they would discuss whether there’s a way to bring Jimmy Kimmel Live! back on the air, and that the “soonest the show could return is September 22.”