ABC is pushing the pause button on its upcoming straight-to-series sitcom Guillermo, a Jimmy Kimmel-produced project led by his longtime sidekick and security guard, Guillermo Rodriguez. ABC and Disney are reportedly worried by recent threats from the FCC to revoke their broadcasting license if they move forward with expanding the Jimmy Kimmel universe; Kimmel is, of course, a longtime nemesis of director Brendan Carr. The FCC immediately criticized the pickup of the project, but seemingly moved on until President Trump labeled the show "illegal" in a post on Truth Social last week. This prompted an official investigation from the FCC, with the investigation finding the show's planned airing to be in violation of FCC guidelines. The investigation's findings prompted several local affiliates to announce they wouldn't air the show, and would instead air repeats of Shifting Gears in the slot.
It's the second such incidence of Disney backing away from Kimmel amid opposition from the Trump administration. They previously put his long-running talk show on hiatus last September after scrutiny from Carr, which drew national news headlines. This pause is said to be far more serious, with ABC unwilling to risk the revocation of their license just to air the freshman comedy series. Guillermo's "pause" is expected to be permanent. Neither Rodriguez nor Kimmel have commented on the matter this far.
It's another huge financial blow for ABC and Disney, as Guillermo has already filmed four episodes of its thirteen-episode order - episodes that are expected to never be aired in any form. This will be the second such incidence of ABC pulling a series that they've already filmed, after yanking the Bachelorette late last month. ABC ordered the sitcom to series earlier this year in a straight-to-series order, with plans to pair the series with fellow workplace comedy Abbott Elementary in the fall. With those plans falling through, it remains to be seen if ABC will proceed with a planned two-hour comedy lineup.
The sitcom was set to star Rodriguez as a fictionalized version of himself, showing him balancing his day-to-day family life, his work on Jimmy Kimmel Live, and his attempts to start his own salsa empire. Joining Rodriguez in the principal cast were Charlize Theron as his wife, Rodriguez's own son Benji, Matt Damon, regular Kimmel fixture "Cousin" Sal Iacono, and Kimmel himself. Kimmel writer Molly McNearney, fellow Kimmel personality Chippy Potenza, and Shark Tank's Lori Greiner were set to recur, with many celebrity guests expected to appear over the show's first season. Kermit the Frog, Tom Hanks, Sabrina Carpenter, Quinta Brunson, Ben Affleck, Pedro Pascal, Jamie Lee Curtis, and Jennifer Aniston were among the celebrity guests expected to make cameos over season one, with ABC planning to make the high-profile series a place to promote their upcoming projects and frequent collaborators.
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