September 2025 will go down as a month Disney wished it could forget. The entertainment giant, home to beloved characters and blockbuster franchises, found itself at the center of a cultural and political firestorm—one that had a very real impact on its bottom line. The culprit? The temporary suspension of late-night host Jimmy Kimmel after his controversial remarks about the assassination of right-wing activist Charlie Kirk and the ensuing backlash from all corners of the American political spectrum.
According to data from Antenna, a research firm specializing in subscription trends, Disney+ lost nearly 3 million subscribers in September, a staggering leap from the usual 1.2 million monthly cancellations. Hulu, which Disney also owns, saw an even greater loss—about 4.1 million subscribers dropped the service, roughly double the normal churn. For both platforms, churn rates spiked to levels not seen in years: Disney+ hit 8%, up from 4% in August, and Hulu jumped to 10% from 5% the month before. These figures, reported by GuruFocus and The Hill, paint a picture of a streaming exodus that Disney could hardly ignore.
What set off this subscriber stampede? It all began when Jimmy Kimmel, known for his sharp tongue and frequent criticisms of former President Donald Trump, made pointed comments about the MAGA movement’s response to Charlie Kirk’s assassination. The backlash was swift and fierce, especially from conservative circles. Under pressure from Trump’s Federal Communications Commission Chair Brendan Carr and affiliate groups like Nexstar Media Group and Sinclair Broadcast Group, ABC—owned by Disney—pulled Kimmel off the air for six days. Sinclair, which owns more than 30 ABC stations, demanded that Kimmel remain off-air unless he apologized to Kirk’s family and made a financial contribution.
The suspension didn’t just rile up conservatives. It ignited a wave of protest across the entertainment industry and social media. Late-night hosts John Oliver and Stephen Colbert publicly criticized ABC’s decision, with Oliver urging viewers to cancel their Disney+ and Hulu subscriptions. Radio legend Howard Stern also weighed in, likening the suspension to past battles over free speech with the FCC and calling on ABC to resist political interference. More than 400 entertainment professionals signed an open letter demanding Kimmel’s reinstatement and urging Disney to stand firm against political pressure. Even former Disney CEO Michael Eisner and former President Barack Obama voiced their concerns about the company’s leadership and decision-making.
For millions of viewers, the Kimmel controversy became a flashpoint—a rare chance to send a message to a media titan using the only tool at their disposal: their wallets. As MovieWeb observed, "whenever a statement wants to be made by a mass audience through a boycott, the effects can be palpable." The timing of the mass cancellations, coinciding with the Kimmel suspension, made it hard to dismiss the connection. While some subscribers cited outrage over the late-night host’s removal, others pointed to rising subscription costs and shrinking content libraries as reasons for leaving. The streaming market was already fiercely competitive, with consumers juggling multiple services and looking for ways to cut costs.
Disney, for its part, declined to comment on the specifics of the Antenna data, and a company source told The Hill that internal figures showed fewer cancellations than what Antenna reported. The source also noted that the numbers didn’t account for Disney’s wholesale business, which could mean the true impact was slightly less dramatic. Still, the optics were difficult to ignore—especially as the story dominated headlines and social media feeds for weeks.
Yet, even as millions canceled, others signed up. In September, Disney+ gained 2.2 million new customers, including many who took advantage of free trials, while Hulu added 2.1 million. These new sign-ups offered a glimmer of hope, suggesting that the platforms could still attract fresh audiences despite the controversy. In fact, Disney+ saw new sign-ups rise from 1.99 million in August to 2.18 million in September, according to Den of Geek and WorstPreviews. The churn, however, was still a major concern; it’s one thing to attract new viewers, but quite another to keep them from walking out the door.
The most dramatic turnaround came with Jimmy Kimmel’s return to the airwaves on September 23. His comeback episode drew a record-breaking 6.2 million viewers, quadrupling his usual audience. Antenna insiders confirmed that both Disney+ and Hulu saw a sharp increase in reinstated subscriptions as Kimmel’s ratings soared. It was a striking example of how quickly public sentiment can shift—and how entertainment, politics, and business are more intertwined than ever before.
The controversy also highlighted the deep divisions in American media and politics. On one side, critics accused Disney and ABC of caving to political pressure and stifling free speech. On the other, groups like Sinclair insisted that Kimmel’s comments were out of bounds and demanded accountability. The result was a rare moment when both left-leaning and right-leaning voices found something to protest—albeit for very different reasons.
Meanwhile, investors seemed to take a longer view. Disney’s stock edged higher, closing near $113 on October 21, 2025, as Wall Street looked ahead to the company’s next earnings report and the future of its streaming business. The company has poured hundreds of millions of dollars into building Disney+ and Hulu, betting that the shift from cable to streaming is here to stay. But as September’s events showed, even the biggest players can be thrown off course by the unpredictable mix of politics, culture, and consumer power.
Ultimately, the Jimmy Kimmel saga was a vivid reminder that in today’s media landscape, no company is immune to the forces of public opinion. Whether the subscriber losses were driven more by outrage over Kimmel’s suspension, frustration over rising prices, or simply the churn of a crowded streaming market, the message was clear: viewers have more power—and more choices—than ever before. And sometimes, all it takes is a single spark to set off a firestorm.
