DAY THE MUSIC DIED

ABC Hits Kimmel With Major Budget Cuts After Suspension

The news comes just after the Critics’ Choice Awards gave “Jimmy Kimmel Live!” its Best Talk Show prize.

ABC has told Jimmy Kimmel, 58, to reduce the number of musical performances on his show to just two per week, down from one per broadcast, a 60% reduction. Jimmy Kimmel Live! music producer Jim Pitt has reportedly been informing staff of the slashed performances, but has provided no reason for them. Kimmel’s show was just one of two remaining late-night talk shows to feature nightly musical performances following widespread cutbacks in the late-night landscape. Now, The Tonight Show Starring Jimmy Fallon is the only show to maintain its full musical performance roster. Despite renewing his contract for an additional year, tensions between Kimmel and the network remain high since Disney, the parent company of ABC, suspended his show in September following monologue jokes he made about Charlie Kirk’s assassination. The acclaimed host was initially suspended indefinitely after Federal Communications Commission chairman Brandon Carr threatened to revoke ABC’s broadcasting license. After public backlash, ABC reduced the suspension to three days. On Sunday, Kimmel won an award for “Best Talk Show” at the Critics’ Choice Awards.