Did Jimmy Kimmel’s suspension cause massive losses for Disney? Analysis shows big increases in Disney+ and Hulu cancellations after Jimmy Kimmel Live went off air; here’s a reality check

The cancellation of Disney+ and Hulu, two online streamers under the Disney brand, doubled in September 2025 after TV host Jimmy Kimmel was briefly taken off air, according to the data from analytics firm Antenna. The latest projections suggest the move may have hampered the entertainment giant financially.

Antenna’s data shows Disney+'s so-called churn rate jumped from a 4% average to 8%, which equates to about three million cancellations, while Hulu's rose to 10%, or more than 4 million. Churn rate is the percentage of subscribers who cancel each month.

It all started when Disney suspended Kimmel, who hosts the late-night show Jimmy Kimmel Live, after comments he made about the shooting of right-wing political activist and commentator Charlie Kirk, who was fatally shot at Utah Valley University on September 10, 2025. The division from Disney came following pressure from a federal regulator and sparked free speech debates, according to the BBC. The late-night show was later reinstated within a week following the backlash.

What did Jimmy Kimmel say about Charlie Kirk’s killing

On September 17, 2025, Disney, which owns ABC, decided to take Kimmel off air. This came two days after he had said, during one of his shows, the "Maga gang" was "desperately trying to characterize this kid who murdered Charlie Kirk as anything other than one of them" and was trying to "score political points from it."

According to reports, the suspension came hours after Brendan Carr, chair of broadcast regulator the Federal Communications Commission (FCC), had issued a threat to revoke ABC's broadcast license.

What does Antenna’s data say about cancellations

Antenna, a firm that tracks subscription data for major streaming services, released the latest data on Monday, which initially suggested that Disney may have taken a hit due to Jimmy Kimmel’s suspension. According to the data, Disney+ and Hulu lost millions more subscribers in September 2025 compared to recent months, while Netflix saw its churn rate hold steady at 2%.

Cancellation rates for Disney+ and Hulu doubled from August to September, according to Antenna. At Disney+, that rate went from 4% to 8%, and at Hulu, it went from 5% to 10%. There is, however, no clarity on whether Kimmel's suspension was the only factor driving the surge in cancellations.

Besides Kimmel’s suspension, some cancellations were expected due to an increase in price for both streaming services, a source familiar with Disney’s streaming subscriptions told HuffPost. The company had decided to increase prices as it faces pressure to boost its profit from streaming services. Those price hikes were announced about a week after Kimmel’s September 17, 2025, suspension and go into effect this month.

Despite the rise in cancellation rates, both Disney+ and Hulu saw an uptick in new sign-ups in September. This helped the entertainment giant offset some of the loss, according to Antenna. Disney declined to comment, and Hulu is yet to respond.