The last week has been a rough one for Disney, with the fallout over Jimmy Kimmel’s suspension leading to celebrities threatening to boycott working with the studio and urging subscribers to cancel their Disney+ subscriptions. Now, Disney+ viewers may be given another reason to strongly consider the latter option after the oddly-timed decision by Disney to announce an increase to their subscription prices by several dollars. On October 21, their standard plan with ads will switch from $9.99 per month to $11.99, while the premium plan is set to increase from $15.99 per month to $18.99.
Additionally, the ESPN Select plan will change its monthly prices by $1, increasing from $11.99 to $12.99, and the Disney+ and Hulu plan (with ads) will shift from $10.99 to $12.99 per month. This marks the third year in a row that Disney+ has upped its monthly subscription prices for its various bundles.
Price hikes are never welcomed with open arms at any time, but with so much scrutiny and controversy currently focused on Disney, the timing of the announcement is questionable at best. What is more is that the saga of Jimmy Kimmel’s suspension is still rumbling on with the host set to return to screens tonight (Tuesday).
‘Jimmy Kimmel Live!’ Reinstated Amid Disney Boycott Calls
This comes as Disney and ABC continue to face backlash over Jimmy Kimmel‘s sudden suspension. On Sept. 17, Jimmy Kimmel Live! was taken off the air “indefinitely” following controversial remarks the comedian made in the wake of far-right conservative commentator Charlie Kirk’s death. This not only sparked a widespread conversation on the meaning of free speech, but it also led to a mass boycott of Disney and its affiliates, as many vowed to cancel their Disney+ subscriptions and encouraged others to do the same. Several celebrities, including Supernatural star Misha Collins and LOST exec Damon Lindelof, joined the boycott as they openly protested Kimmel’s suspension.
On Monday, Sept. 22, ABC released a statement confirming that the longtime late-night talk show would return to air.
“Last Wednesday, we made the decision to suspend production on the show to avoid further inflaming a tense situation at an emotional moment for our country. It is a decision we made because we felt some of the comments were ill-timed and thus insensitive. We have spent the last days having thoughtful conversations with Jimmy, and after those conversations, we reached the decision to return the show on Tuesday.”
However, Sinclair and Nexstar Media Group — who own many ABC affiliates in the U.S. — have announced they plan to preempt the show’s return by showing other programs on their channels during his time slot.
- Release Date
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January 26, 2003
- Network
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ABC
- Writers
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Joel Hodgson, Sal Iacono, Tony Barbieri, Eric Immerman, Jonathan Bines, Rick Rosner, Bryan Paulk, Danny Ricker, Jeff Loveness, Josh Halloway, Bess Kalb
