Don’t expect late-night comedian Jimmy Kimmel to apologize profusely when he returns to the airwaves tonight, said Peter White, executive editor of television for Deadline Hollywood.
“I would be very surprised if Jimmy apologizes, because plenty of people have said that was the main reason he was pulled was that he did not want to back down last week — because Disney wanted him to apologize and he didn't want to,” said White, speaking to MSNBC’s Chris Jansing of “Chris Jansing Reports.”
Kimmel will be back on the air this week after his suspension last week raised alarms about President Donald Trump's administration using the power of the federal government to silence critics. ABC parent company Disney announced his return in a Monday statement after he was suspended following a pressure campaign from Trump-appointed Federal Communications Commission (FCC) Chairman Brendan Carr.
Jansing pointed out that ABC changed its mind after overwhelming public backlash and a wave of cancellations that was so massive it crashed the Disney Plus cancellation page.
“When he gets on the air tonight. Is it at least in part because of the power of the people?” Jansing asked.
“There's been quite the outrage since the news last week,” answered White. “There's a few people that might have moved things along, even more so than Disney subscribers who were canceling. You had the former CEO, Michael Eisner putting pressure on the current CEO Bob Iger, saying that leadership matters. And then you also had plenty of A-list stars. I think when Tom Hanks, a man who has played Walt Disney, signing a petition to ensure that Jimmy Kimmel gets back to the air, I think that's going to put some pressure on the mouse house.”
As a result, Kimmel strides back onto the state with a sense of strength behind him, so White did not predict a show of humility.
“I keep thinking of an old ‘Tonight Show’ host, Jack Paar, from the 60s. He was sort of pulled off the air because of a risqué joke, and he was off the air for a few weeks. And when he came back, he just, ‘well, as I was saying,’ and I wonder if Jimmy Kimmel might do something similar,” White said. “I suspect he'll crack a gag or a joke at the top, and then he'll have probably an important message, but I would be very surprised if he apologizes.”