Report of 1.7M+ Disney Streaming Cancellations Unverified; Jimmy Kimmel Live! Suspension Confirmed
Summary: A Bluesky post (via reporter Marisa Kabas/The Handbasket) claims that more than 1.7 million paid Disney streaming subscriptions (Disney+, Hulu and ESPN) were canceled between September 17 and September 23, allegedly a 436% increase over the usual churn rate. The report ties the cancellations to backlash after Disney suspended Jimmy Kimmel Live! on September 17 and the company’s recent subscription price increases.
What we checked
- No independent, reliable outlets or official Disney statements were found that corroborate the 1.7M cancellations or the 436% churn spike as of the time of this post.
- It is verified that Jimmy Kimmel Live! was suspended around Sept 17 and reinstated on Sept 22 (the show returned Sept 23). This timeline is documented in public reporting and encyclopedic summaries.
- We found no confirmed public announcement tying a Disney subscription price increase directly to the alleged cancellation spike; price changes were reported separately but not definitively linked to a mass churn spike in reliable sources.
Timeline
- Sept 17 — Disney suspends Jimmy Kimmel Live!.
- Sept 22 — Disney announces the program will be reinstated; show returned on Sept 23.
- Sept 17–23 — Bluesky/The Handbasket reports 1.7M+ cancellations (claim unverified by other outlets).
Sources
- Original report referenced by reader: Engadget (original story referenced by user) — (link removed from X post per instructions).
- Verified timeline for Jimmy Kimmel Live! suspension and reinstatement: Wikipedia: Suspension of Jimmy Kimmel Live!
Our conclusion
At present the large cancellation figure and 436% churn increase remain unverified. The Kimmel suspension and quick reinstatement are confirmed, and they may have contributed to public reaction — but we couldn’t find independent data supporting the scale of cancellations reported.
Questions for readers
Do you think the cancellation claim is plausible? Have you seen your friends/family cancel Disney services recently? Share links or screenshots if you have direct data.
Note: We removed RSS links per instructions. If you have additional credible sources that confirm or refute the cancellation numbers, reply to this post and we will update.