Jimmy Kimmels future as the "face" of ABC is in limbo after Disney benched the late-night host indefinitely after he made controversial remarks about conservative activist Charlie Kirks assassination.Disney on Wednesday sidelined Kimmel "indefinitely" amid mounting pressure fromABC affiliate stationsacross the country and the Federal Communications Commission (FCC).Kimmel had planned to address the growing controversy in his monologue that evening, according to TheWall Street Journal. But Disney Entertainment co-Chair Dana Walden, a top Kimmel ally, believed his planned remarks "could make the situation worse."DISNEYS JIMMY KIMMEL BENCHING PROMPTS CELEBRATION, BUT ALSO CAUTION, FROM CONSERVATIVESWalden and Disney CEO Bob Iger made the decision to bench Kimmel, sources told Fox News Digital. The top honchos were clearly looking to protect the Disney brand, but Kimmel is more than just a late-night host for ABC.CBS announced earlier this year that Stephen Colbert's "Late Show" would be canceled next year. The decision shocked many industry insiders, who rushed to blame the Trump administration and assumed it was some sort of quid pro quo to satisfy the FCC ahead of a long-planned merger between Paramount and Skydance. But then it was reported that Colberts program was hemorrhaging cash, and observers started to notice the "Late Show" didnt perform particularly well on non-linear platforms."Its not a Colbert situation; we have been told that Kimmel is profitable. He does a lot more for the network than just hosting this show," Pucks Matthew Belloni pointed out Thursday on his "The Town" podcast."He is like the face of the brand."DISNEY SAYS JIMMY KIMMEL'S SHOW WILL BE PREEMPTED INDEFINITELY FOLLOWING CHARLIE KIRK ASSASSINATION COMMENTSIndeed, Kimmel has hosted the American Music Awards, the Primetime Emmy Awards and the Academy Awards. He also plays a key role in the Disneys annual Upfront presentation to advertisers and hosts ABCs reboot of "Who Wants to Be a Millionaire?""Jimmy Kimmel Live!" has shed viewers in recent years, but the program's YouTube channel has nearly 21 million subscribers, compared to 10.2 million for the "Late Show." A recent Kimmel monologue piled up over 4.1 million views on the platform, and the "face" of ABC also has millions of followers across social media.Its unclear what happens next for Kimmel. Disney did not immediately respond to a series of questions, including if the next scheduled "Who Wants to be a Millionaire?" will air and whether "Jimmy Kimmel Live!" turns a profit.Kimmel suggested in 2024 that he could wrap up his late-night program at the end of his current contract, which will expire in 2026."I think this is my final contract. I hate to even say it, because everyones laughing at me now, each time I think that, and then it turns out to be not the case. I still have a little more than two years left on my contract, and that seems pretty good. That seems like enough," Kimmel told the Los Angeles Times.But earlier this month, Kimmel was evasive when asked how long he planned to keep the gig."Im not prepared to answer that question. Its something I think about a lot. Things have changed a lot over the last few years, the last nine years. Each day is a new adventure, and I kind of take them as they come,"Kimmel told Deadline.KIMMEL REPORTEDLY PLANNED TO ATTACK TRUMP SUPPORTERS IN MONOLOGUE, DEFEND KIRK COMMENTS BEFORE DISNEY'S ACTIONThe Ringer founder and CEO Bill Simmons, who worked on "Jimmy Kimmel Live!" when the program launched in 2001, maintains a close relationship with his former boss. He echoed the notion that it feels "different than the Colbert thing," but he thinks ABC could still keep Kimmel around."Colbert, I dont feel like was the face of CBS, whereas Jimmy was. His show has been on for over two decades," Simmons said Thursday on his podcast."When I was growing up, and we had Battle of the Network Stars and things like that in the '70s, each network had all these different stars you would associate with the network. And, you know, once you get to 2025, as theyre making less and less TV shows, theres more reality shows, more sports, all these things that kind of make a network feel less vibrant," Simmons continued. "Jimmy was one of the few people that you would have associated with ABC."Simmons said it seemed genuine that CBS "wanted to get out of late night," but he doesnt believe that is the case with Disney."When you look at the Jimmy situation, I just think he means more to ABC," Simmons said."There was such a groundswell against Disney this week, I went from thinking there was no chance this show is gonna come back but maybe this flips. Maybe what Disney is realizing is that, at some point, youve got to stand for something," Simmons observed. "Once you start losing your faces, you just dont have a soul anymore."Entertainment outlets reported that around 200 protesters demonstrated outside Disneys location in Burbank, California, to demand that Disney put "Jimmy Kimmel Live!" back on the air. Protesters also gathered outside Kimmels studio on Hollywood Boulevard on Thursday, where they were recorded chanting, "ABC bent the knee! No to the FCC!"CLICK HERE TO GET THE FOX NEWS APPSimmons feels ABC could need Kimmel more than his friend needs the network."You can create your own platform now. You dont need these big places," he said. "You can get your content out in whatever way you want."Fox News Digitals Joseph A. Wulfsohn and Gabriel Hays contributed to this report.