Jimmy Kimmel may have been reinstated by ABC following a short-lived suspension, but the late night talk show will remain unavailable on some local networks thanks to Sinclair Inc.
The second-largest provider of local news in the country announced Monday that it would continue to preempt Jimmy Kimmel Live! on its affiliate networks over the host’s controversial Charlie Kirk comments.
“Beginning Tuesday night, Sinclair will be preempting Jimmy Kimmel Live! across our ABC affiliate stations and replacing it with news programming,” the company shared on social media.
“Discussions with ABC are ongoing as we evaluate the show’s potential return.”
Disney, the parent company of ABC, acknowledged the return of Jimmy Kimmel Live! in a Monday statement, saying: “Last Wednesday, we made the decision to suspend production on the show to avoid further inflaming a tense situation at an emotional moment for our country. It is a decision we made because we felt some of the comments were ill-timed and thus insensitive.
“We have spent the last days having thoughtful conversations with Jimmy, and after those conversations, we reached the decision to return the show on Tuesday.”
During September 14’s episode of the talk show, Kimmel accused Republicans of using Kirk’s death to score political points. He also joked that President Trump was grieving the conservative activist’s murder “the way a four-year-old mourns a goldfish.”
The host was set to address his comments during Wednesday’s episode, which was pulled by ABC just hours before showtime.
It’s not yet clear if Nexstar Media Group, the largest owner of television stations across the country, will air Kimmel’s show upon its return.
The company put out a statement after Kimmel’s comments, which, along with pressure from Federal Communications Commission chair Brendan Carr, prompted ABC to pull the late-night show entirely. “Nexstar strongly objects to recent comments made by Mr Kimmel concerning the killing of Charlie Kirk and will replace the show with other programming in its ABC-affiliated markets,” the statement said.
Fellow comedian Seth Meyers called Kimmel’s anticipated return to late-night TV “great news” during the taping of his NBC show Monday.
Kimmel’s suspension has sparked a massive debate over free speech, with celebrities, politicians, and several current and former late-night talk show hosts voicing their outrage.
“After years of complaining about cancel culture, the current administration has taken it to a new and dangerous level by routinely threatening regulatory action against media companies unless they muzzle or fire reporters and commentators it doesn’t like,” he wrote on X.
“This is precisely the kind of government coercion that the First Amendment was designed to prevent — and media companies need to start standing up rather than capitulating to it.”