Jimmy Kimmel Fans Who Kept Disney+ Subscriptions Just Got Rewarded With Price Hike
So that’s why Disney was so quick to reinstate Jimmy Kimmel.
In the wake of the comedian’s return to Jimmy Kimmel Live! tonight, Jon Stewart gave a shoutout to all of those Disney subscribers who canceled (or threatened to cancel) their Disney+, Hulu and ESPN subscriptions. He knew it wasn’t easy for viewers, given the variety of programming they were giving up. “How is it possible that by getting rid of one company, I can’t watch Winnie the Pooh or Monday Night Football?” he wondered. “Or listen to early Hilary Duff.”
It’s hard to know exactly how serious Stewart was about his reasoning, but today’s announcement from Disney backs him up. The company needs those subs because it's jacking up rates on Disney+ for the fourth time in four years, with the ad-supported plan increasing by $2 a month to $11.99 and the premium plan jumping $3 a month to $18.99. It’s hard to remember all the way back to the prehistoric days of 2019, but the service was only $6.99 back then.
Don't Miss
Hulu’s price is going up too — but of course.
The latest price gouge, announced less than a day after Disney put Kimmel back on the air, is an obvious money grab. It would have been a disaster for Disney to attempt the increase in the middle of a popular protest campaign to cancel their streaming services altogether — reportedly more than a million subscriptions were lost, according to The Handbasket. Much better to stick greedy corporate mitts into Disney fans’ pockets during the afterglow of posing as a free-speech champion.
The Disney overlords are sticking it to us, along with all the streamers wanting more. In 2025, Netflix, YouTube TV, Discovery+, Fubo, Plex, AMC+ and ESPN Select have all jacked their rates. Remember all that money you were saving when you cut the cord? You might want to redo that math.
But it’s Disney’s timing that will make even the least cynical viewers roll their eyes to the backs of their skulls. Kimmel is coming back thanks to “thoughtful conversations” with the star? More like, Kimmel is coming back so Bob Iger can make his quarterly earnings projection.
According to one source inside Disney, “With subscriptions hemorrhaging since last week, they couldn’t risk losing more users with this announcement,” reported journalist Marisa Kabas. Yeah, no kidding.
So Kimmel is back. But the goodwill Disney gained by returning the host to his late-night perch? They just sold it for two bucks a month.
