While the future of Jimmy Kimmel‘s late-night series remains up in the air, his staffers are apparently worried about returning to the talk show’s studio — if they ever even can.
According to a new report published by Us Weekly on Thursday night, an insider has said that staffers who work behind the scenes on Jimmy Kimmel Live! are worried that “crazy stuff” being said online could be dangerous for them.
Related: Jimmy Fallon, Seth Meyers & Stephen Colbert Break Silence On Kimmel’s Show Suspension
The 57-year-old host’s staff is in the dark about the show’s future, for one, as it’s uncertain when (or if) Jimmy will ever return after the ongoing brouhaha over his comments about political pundit Charlie Kirk‘s death. And logistically, that means staff doesn’t know if they’ll be able to go back to the studio. But more than that, the source’s reference to “crazy stuff” being lobbed their way online links to a bigger concern: whether staffers are safe in this increasingly intense environment.
That outlet’s insider said Jimmy has been receiving a lot of hateful comments on his social media posts in the last few days. Some staffers are specifically worried that somebody with violent intentions could pop up at the show’s famous studio on Hollywood Boulevard in El Lay. That’s a huge tourist area, and always very busy, so that would be super scary.
It sounds like it’s an overall confusing time for staffers, too. A separate insider previously told that same outlet that Kimmel’s staff was first told the show would be off the air for the remainder of the week before news of this indefinite suspension came out.
Meanwhile, another insider just came forward with chilling comments about whether the show could ever return AT ALL.
Rick Ellis, a journalist who publishes the Too Much TV Substack, spoke to an anonymous Kimmel staffer who explained that while the past few years on the show have been “great,” and everything around this controversy has “sucked.” No kidding.
That unnamed staffer claimed Disney CEO Bob Iger, who oversees ABC and all the rest, had supposedly been ready to cut anybody loose for a while:
“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 added they weren’t “shocked” by the Kimmel cut, noting:
“But you could see it coming. Every time some MAGA asshat would spout off about the show, the knot in my stomach just got tighter.”
Now, Kimmel’s staffers are gravely affected. The anonymous source explained:
“There are a lot of people working on the show who can’t afford to be out of work. They have jobs that won’t pay them if they don’t work. And they likely don’t have much money saved up. If you’re in Hollywood and don’t want to say anything in support publicly … well, f**k you. But one thing you can do is find a job for one of the staffers who need it right now. Even if it means digging into your own pocket. Spending a little of your own money is the least you can do. Honestly, it is the least you can do.”
And here’s the REAL kicker: the staffer said they “can’t imagine a scenario” in which the show returns… ever.
They noted:
“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. 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.”
Wow.
[Image via Charlie Kirk/YouTube/Jimmy Kimmel/YouTube]
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