Disney Loses 1.7 Million Subscribers During Kimmel Suspension

During the five days that Jimmy Kimmel was suspended from Disney platforms, the company lost 1.7 million subscribers across Disney+, Hulu, and ESPN. While this may seem like a small number compared to the total 207 million subscribers Disney had in August, the churn rate for Disney+ and Hulu during Kimmel’s absence was nearly six times higher compared to before.

This loss comes at a crucial time for Disney, as they had reported a gain of 2.6 million subscribers in their Q3 fiscal quarter and were aiming to add 10 million more by the end of the current quarter. The surge in cancellations during Kimmel’s suspension goes against Disney’s narrative of growth in their streaming services.

The rise of the #CancelDisneyPlus movement on social media coincided with Kimmel’s suspension and played a role in driving cancellations. While online campaigns don’t always have a measurable impact, in this case, the backlash led to a real-world increase in cancellations.

Although Disney has not officially commented on whether the subscription cancellations influenced their decision to reinstate Kimmel, the timing of the backlash and the subsequent spike in churn suggest it may have been a factor. Kimmel himself joked about the situation in his first monologue back, referencing the incident as he returned to hosting his show.