Local broadcasters refuse to air Jimmy Kimmel after ABC reinstates him

As ABC moves to bring Jimmy Kimmel back to late-night television, two major local broadcasting groups are holding their ground and continuing to block the show from airing on their affiliated stations.

Nexstar Media Group announced Sept. 23 that its ABC affiliates will not air Jimmy Kimmel Live! in light of comments made by the comedian that ABC previously described as “ill-timed and insensitive.” 

The company stated that it made the decision last week to preempt the program and will maintain that position “pending assurance that all parties are committed to fostering an environment of respectful, constructive dialogue in the markets we serve.” 

While Nexstar noted the show remains accessible through Disney-owned streaming platforms, it confirmed that its stations would focus on “local news and other programming relevant to their respective markets.”

Sinclair Broadcast Group, another major broadcaster with ABC affiliates, has also opted to pull the show from its schedule. 

Together, Nexstar and Sinclair operate 70 ABC-affiliated stations, making up more than a quarter of all ABC affiliates in the U.S., according to Reuters. The two companies’ combined broadcast footprint reaches roughly 23% of American households.

“Beginning Tuesday night, Sinclair will be preempting Jimmy Kimmel Live! across our ABC affiliate stations and replacing it with news programming,” Sinclair announced in a Sept. 22 X post.

The company also noted that discussions with ABC are ongoing “as we evaluate the show's potential return.”

The decisions by the companies come in the wake of a brief suspension by ABC last week, which followed backlash to comments Kimmel made about Charlie Kirk’s death.

“We made the decision to suspend production on the show to avoid further inflaming a tense situation at an emotional moment for our country,” Disney said. 

CatholicVote reported that during his Sept. 15 monologue, Kimmel said the country had “hit some new lows over the weekend” as “the MAGA gang desperately tried to characterize this kid who killed Charlie Kirk as anything other than one of them,” accusing conservatives of trying to “score political points from Kirk’s death.” 

He also mocked President Donald Trump’s response, saying he mourned Kirk “like a 4‑year‑old mourns the death of a goldfish.”

The network reinstated the show less than a week later, citing “thoughtful conversations with Jimmy.”

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