Kimmel staffer reveals they ‘can’t imagine a scenario’ in which the show returns, slams MAGA

Kimmel’s show was suspended Thursday following remarks about Charlie Kirk

A Jimmy Kimmel staffer revealed during an interview with Rick Ellis, published Friday, that they don’t see a scenario in which the late-night show returns.

“I want to think it will. But I can’t imagine a scenario in which that happens. Even if Jimmy was willing to publicly apologize and donate money to whatever ghoulish conservative group that is demanding it… MAGA people will never be happy. It will never be enough,” the staffer told Ellis in an interview for his “Too Much TV” newsletter.

Kimmel’s show was pulled on Wednesday after the late-night host’s remarks about Charlie Kirk’s shooter.

“And Disney will look at the situation and decide it’s cheaper to buy out the rest of his contract and replace the show with reruns of Modern Family and Judge Judy. Somehow, they’ll convince themselves the worst is behind them. Until a day or two pass and they find themselves having to defend Whoopi and the other women of The View. And no one wants to be in that position,” the staffer continued.

Demonstrators protest the suspension of the “Jimmy Kimmel Live!” show outside the El Capitan Theatre, where the show was filmed, in Hollywood, Calif., on Friday, Sept. 19, 2025. (Jill Connelly/Bloomberg via Getty Images)

The staffer said they weren’t necessarily surprised the show was pulled.

“I had zero faith that any of the network execs had the slightest bit of stones to stand up for their employees. I mean, yeah, I was surprised it happened that specific day. But you could see it coming. Every time some MAGA a–hat would spout off about the show, the knot in my stomach just got tighter,” they said.

Kimmel said during the show on Monday, “We hit some new lows over the weekend with the MAGA gang desperately trying to characterize this kid who murdered Charlie Kirk as anything other than one of them and doing everything they can to score political points from it.”

Asked if they believed Kimmel’s critics had a point, the staffer said no.

“I don’t think they had a point. The Trump folks are like that crooked cop who wants to pull over a driver and waits until they make some slight mistake. ‘Oh, I’m sorry, Mr. Black Guy, you didn’t come to a complete stop and look both ways at that last stop sign.’ That’s our show. We were always a running stop away from unemployment,” the staffer told Ellis.

The staffer added that everything around Kimmel’s show had “sucked,” and said that Kimmel had gotten a lot of “threats and attention” from Trump supporters in recent years.

Jimmy Kimmel, winner of the Outstanding Host for a Game Show Award for “Who Wants to Be a Millionaire,” attends the 2025 Creative Arts Emmy Awards at Peacock Theater on Sept. 7, 2025, in Los Angeles. (Kevin Winter/Getty Images)

The staffer said working for Kimmel had been great, but went on to criticize Disney.

“Because it was becoming increasingly clear in recent weeks that Sir Iger and the ABC executives would cut us loose in a second if they thought something we did might hurt attendance at Disney World or cost anyone their annual bonus,” the staffer said.

Disney did not immediately return a request for comment.