Welcome back. Today, Kenvue navigates Tylenol’s biggest calamity since it became a case study in crisis management in 1982; candy makers cater to grown-ups who remember “the golden era of snacks”; and questions continue after the Kimmel suspension ends.

Tylenol set the gold standard for corporate crisis management in 1982 after people died from taking its pain medication that had been tampered with and laced with cyanide. The brand’s challenge after President Trump called it a potential cause of autism could be as steep, Peter Loftus, Alyssa Lukpat and Sara Ashley O’Brien write.

The crisis comes as Tylenol maker Kenvue is less than three months into the tenure of interim CEO Kirk Perry, a longtime marketing executive who briefly retired earlier this year. Perry thought his challenge would be to turn around the beauty brands.

Instead he found himself in a meeting trying to convince Robert F. Kennedy Jr., the nation’s top health official, that there was no clear evidence linking autism and acetaminophen, the active ingredient in Tylenol. He failed.

Now Tylenol is trying social media to counter critics, Kenvue has a crisis communications firm and the company is evaluating its potential liability, in case the Trump administration’s warning sparks a new round of lawsuits.

Candy makers are pursuing adult connoisseurs with intensely flavored, extra crunchy or chewy sweets, sold in chic boutiques opening across the country, Charlotte Druckman writes.

The Swedish candy company BonBon has expanded to six storefronts throughout the New York area with plans to expand out of state next year. Others include Candycopia in Oak Park outside Chicago; Lil Sweet Treat in Manhattan, Philadelphia and Boston; and the Sweetish Fish in Boston and Cape Cod.

Some offerings are priced at a premium, like Tammy Holmes Edible Crystals, starting at $45 for 12 pieces. Others are strictly affordable luxury. 

Andrea Hernández, an expert in food products and founder of Substack publication Snaxshot, said her millennial cohort is embracing moreness in candy as a reaction to restrictive dietary trends.

“We grew up in the golden era of snacks—Dunkaroos, Gushers—and then came the demonization of sugar,” she said.

Many questions raised by the pre-emption of “Jimmy Kimmel Live!” remain after the show returned to the air last week, including whether the comeback came quickly enough to salvage Bob Iger’s reputation in Hollywood.

The Disney CEO heard clearly from the creative community during the suspension, Ben Fritz, Joe Flint and Erich Schwartzel report.

Hollywood’s most powerful agents, including Creative Artists Agency managing partner Bryan Lourd and senior leaders at William Morris Endeavor and the United Talent Agency, were warning Iger and his top lieutenants that the blackout had damaged his and his company’s reputation. Top talent, they said, were considering not working with Disney.

Disney showrunners texted each other about how to express their outrage to top executives. More than 400 celebrities including Tom Hanks and Meryl Streep signed a letter of protest. Michael Eisner, who was running Disney when Kimmel started, asked on X, “Where has all the leadership gone?”

Iger hasn’t said a word publicly about his decisions on Kimmel, nor the national debate on free speech and government coercion it sparked.

“I would say actions speak louder than words,” said Disney General Counsel Horacio Gutierrez, pointing to Kimmel’s return in under a week.

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