Disney+ and Hulu Shed 7 Million Subscribers in September 2025 Amidst 'Jimmy Kimmel Live!' Hiatus

The brief, unscheduled halt in production for the late-night program “Jimmy Kimmel Live!” during mid-September 2025 coincided precisely with a significant wave of subscriber departures across both the Disney+ and Hulu streaming platforms, according to market data compiled by Antenna. This period saw the two services collectively lose more than 7 million users through cancellations, highlighting a moment of substantial audience volatility for the Walt Disney Company’s digital assets.

The churn rate for Disney+ reached a substantial 8% that September, translating to an estimated loss of approximately 3 million subscribers. The situation was even more pronounced for Hulu, where the cancellation rate effectively doubled, hitting 10% and resulting in roughly 4.1 million users terminating their subscriptions. To put this into perspective, these figures dramatically outpaced the average industry churn rate of 7% observed across the nine leading premium streaming services. In stark contrast, competitor Netflix maintained a remarkably stable churn rate of just 2%, illustrating the specific turbulence faced by the Disney-owned platforms. The catalyst for the temporary removal of the ABC program was controversial remarks made by host Jimmy Kimmel directed at conservative activist Charlie Kirk, which subsequently fueled widespread calls for a boycott across various social media channels.

Local ABC affiliated television stations pulled the program from their schedules on September 17. However, Kimmel made a high-rated return to the airwaves just six days later, on September 23. Intriguingly, despite the immediate surge in cancellations, both platforms simultaneously recorded a substantial influx of new subscribers. Disney+ managed to attract about 2.18 million new users, while Hulu gained 2.11 million. This complex, dual trend suggests a highly nuanced audience picture. While protest cancellations from one segment of the viewership occurred, perhaps in response to the political controversy, other users were simultaneously signing up, potentially driven by support for the host or the appeal of attractive new bundled offerings, such as expanded ESPN coverage, which often draw in sports fans.

Following this period of high subscriber volatility, the Walt Disney Company announced adjustments to its pricing structure, effective October 21, 2025. These increased tariffs impacted both streaming services and their combined packages. For instance, the monthly cost for new subscribers opting for the Disney+, Hulu, and ESPN Select Bundle rose from $16.99 to $19.99. Furthermore, the price for so-called Legacy subscribers, who had previously retained older terms, increased from $21.99 to $24.99 per month. While analysts have stopped short of confirming a direct cause-and-effect relationship between the Kimmel hiatus and the massive subscriber exodus, the undeniable synchronicity of the two major events remains a key point of discussion regarding audience sensitivity and content decisions.