&34;Everything's going to be just fine,&34; adds Sal Iacono, known professionally as Cousin Sal. Jimmy Kimmel's Cousin Sal hints at more 'bombshells' to come fo

"Everything's going to be just fine," adds Sal Iacono, known professionally as Cousin Sal.

Jimmy Kimmel's Cousin Sal hints at more 'bombshells' to come following ABC suspension

"Everything's going to be just fine," adds Sal Iacono, known professionally as Cousin Sal.

By Mekishana Pierre

Mekishana Pierre

Mekishana Pierre is a news writer at **. She has been working at EW since 2025. Her work has previously appeared on *Entertainment Tonight* and Popsugar.

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September 22, 2025 4:43 p.m. ET

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Sal Iacono; Jimmy Kimmel. Credit:

Bill Simmons/YouTube; Valerie Terranova/WireImage

Amid news that Jimmy Kimmel will return to his late-night show on Tuesday night after ABC pulled *Jimmy Kimmel Live* off the air indefinitely on Sept. 17, the host's cousin hints that the full story hasn't been told yet.

During Sunday's episode of *The Bill Simmons Podcast*, Sal Iacono, Kimmel's cousin and a long-time writer and performer on *Jimmy Kimmel Live,* teased that "there are a couple bombshells still there" regarding Kimmel's benching by the network.**

ABC announced Kimmel was officially suspended after the late-night host made comments about the "MAGA gang" and how it reacted to Tyler Robinson, the suspect in the Sept. 10 assassination of far-right conservative activist Charlie Kirk. On Monday, the network revealed its reversal of that decision.**

Emma McIntyre/Getty

Iacono said he was treading carefully out of respect for the staffers, but told Simmons, "I'm feeling good. We're going to be all right. Everything's going to be just fine."

Simmons, who worked as a writer on the show two decades ago, noted that Kimmel wouldn't find it hard to locate a platform if he had decided to walk.

"He'll be fine, whatever he wants to do," Simmons said. "Hey, listen, he might just want to be a pop-up chef and start making barbecue around the South Bay area. He'll do a great job."**

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Iacono admitted that the past week was "tumultuous," sharing that Kimmel and his family held a small gathering in which his son finally called out the elephant in the room that the adults were trying to avoid.

"My middle guy, Jack, who is a junior in high school, says, 'Hey, some kids at school say it's not right what happened to you,'" Iacono recounted. He recalled that Kimmel replied: "Next time tell them, 'I'm not too worried; my cousin Jimmy is an excellent dancer.'"

Still, Iacono said there were details he couldn't share out of respect of everyone involved. "That's all I have to say right now. I can't really say anything," he told Simmons. "You and I know too much. It's very emotional."**

Tension in Hollywood on both sides of the major political parties nearly boiled over following Kimmel's benching.**

Disney met a wave of backlash as the late-night host's peers and fans objected to Kimmel being taken off the air by ABC following pressure from FCC chair Brendan Carr and ABC affiliate groups for comments he made about the alleged killer of right-wing activist Charlie Kirk.

Fellow late-night hosts Seth Meyers, Jimmy Fallon, David Letterman, Jon Stewart, and Conan O'Brien spoke out against Kimmel's benching on their platforms; MSNBC host Chris Hayes called it "the most straightforward attack on free speech from state actors I've ever seen in my life, and it's not even close."

More recently, over 400 prominent artists — including actors, comedians, musicians, writers, and directors — shared a signed letter blasting ABC's decision. The open letter from the American Civil Liberties Union (ACLU) condemns the suspension as an effort to silence artists, journalists, and media companies, calling it a "dark moment for freedom of speech in our nation."

Seth Meyers; Conan O'Brien; Jon Stewart.

Disney/Scott Kirkland via Getty; Cindy Ord/Getty; Rodin Eckenroth/Getty

Though the letter does not name President Donald Trump, his FCC chair, Brandan Carr, ABC, or its parent company, Disney, it notes that "Jimmy Kimmel was taken off the air after the government threatened a private company with retaliation."**

Trump had been notably vocal about his approval of ABC's decision to preempt *Jimmy Kimmel Live. *The former *Apprentice* star took to his social media platform Truth Social to gloat about one of his biggest critics being pulled off the air, and noted that only two late-night hosts remain: Fallon and Meyers, neither of whom he wants to see on the air.

"Regardless of our political affiliation, or whether we engage in politics or not, we all love our country. We also share the belief that our voices should never be silenced by those in power – because if it happens to one of us, it happens to all of us," the letter reads in part. "This is the moment to defend free speech across our nation. We encourage all Americans to join us, along with the ACLU, in the fight to defend and preserve our constitutionally protected rights."

***Sign up for **'s free daily newsletter to get breaking TV news, exclusive first looks, recaps, reviews, interviews with your favorite stars, and more.***

The list of signees notably includes several actors who have starred in work produced and/or distributed by ABC and Disney. Among the names is *Freakier Friday* star Jamie Lee Curtis, *Thunderbolts* actresses Florence Pugh and Julia-Louis Dreyfus, *The Mandalorian* actor Pedro Pascal, *Only Murders in the Building *stars Meryl Streep, Martin Short and Selena Gomez, *Grey's Anatomy *alum T.R. Knight, *HSMTMTS* star Olivia Rodrigo, *Andor* creator and star Tony Gilroy and Diego Luna, *Agatha All Along* lead Kathryn Hahn, MCU alum Mark Ruffalo, and *Hamilton *star/ *Moana* songster, Lin-Manuel Miranda.**

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