Nexstar, Sinclair to continue not airing Kimmel's ABC show, in talks with Disney on how to move forward

close

Video

Nexstar, Sinclair to continue preempting Kimmel show despite return from suspension

Fox News national correspondent Bryan Llenas reports on the return of 'Jimmy Kimmel Live!' to air following its suspension and some ABC affiliates continuing to preempt the show on 'The Faulkner Focus.'

Nexstar Media Group, Inc. and Sinclair Broadcast Group announced on Wednesday that it will continue preempting "Jimmy Kimmel Live!" for the time being, even as Disney is allowing the show to return to ABC. 

"Nexstar is continuing to evaluate the status of ‘Jimmy Kimmel Live!’ on our ABC-affiliated local television stations, and the show will be preempted while we do so," the company said in a statement. "We are engaged in productive discussions with executives at The Walt Disney Company, with a focus on ensuring the program reflects and respects the diverse interests of the communities we serve."

This follows their previous statement on Tuesday where the company had declared, "We made a decision last week to preempt ‘Jimmy Kimmel Live!’ following what ABC referred to as Mr. Kimmel’s ‘ill-timed and insensitive’ comments at a critical time in our national discourse. We stand by that decision pending assurance that all parties are committed to fostering an environment of respectful, constructive dialogue in the markets we serve."

ABC's Jimmy Kimmel returned to the air on Tuesday. (Randy Holmes/Disney via Getty Image)

SINCLAIR WILL PREEMPT JIMMY KIMMEL'S SHOW DESPITE DISNEY ENDING ITS SUSPENSION

"In the meantime, we note that ‘Jimmy Kimmel Live!’ will be available nationwide on multiple Disney-owned streaming products, while our stations will focus on continuing to produce local news and other programming relevant to their respective markets," Nexstar added.

When asked if they would continue to preempt Kimmel's show, Sinclair directed Fox News Digital to an earlier statement.

"Beginning Tuesday night, Sinclair will be preempting Jimmy Kimmel Live! across our ABC affiliate stations and replacing it with news programming. Discussions with ABC are ongoing as we evaluate the show’s potential return," the statement reads.

Kimmel returned to the airwaves Tuesday after a brief suspension by Disney that began last week. He clarified his remarks about the alleged assassin of Charlie Kirk and praised his widow Erika Kirk, but he did not offer a direct apology for appearing to falsely suggest the accused killer was a MAGA supporter. 

"I want to make something clear, because it’s important to me as a human, and that is – you understand that it was never my intention to make light of the murder of a young man," he said.

Kimmel began tearing up as he said he posted a message to Instagram sending love to Kirk's family the day of his death.

"Nor was it my intention to blame any specific group for the actions," he continued. "It was a deeply disturbed individual. That was really the opposite of the point I was trying to make, but I understand that, to some, it felt either ill-timed or unclear or maybe both, and for those who think I did point a finger, I get why you’re upset. If the situation was reversed, there’s a good chance I would have felt the same way." 

Demonstrators protest the suspension of the "Jimmy Kimmel Live!" show outside the El Capitan Theatre, where the show was filmed, in Hollywood, California, on Friday, Sept. 19, 2025. Disney restored Kimmel's show this week, and he did his first show back on Tuesday. (Jill Connelly/Bloomberg via Getty Images)

ABC’S ‘JIMMY KIMMEL LIVE!’ HEMORRHAGED VIEWERS OVER PAST DECADE, LOST 72% AMONG KEY DEMO

He also mocked Federal Communications Commission chairman Brendan Carr and President Donald Trump for their criticism of him and defended his right to free speech.

Kimmel said Carr telling an American company this would amount to a "direct violation of the First Amendment [and] is not a particularly intelligent threat to make in public." 

"The FCC has a long tradition of meddling where they shouldn’t under many administrations. But it wasn’t always like this," Kimmel said. 

CLICK HERE FOR MORE COVERAGE OF MEDIA AND CULTURE

Protesters called for Jimmy Kimmel's return to the airwaves last week. (Christina House/Getty Images)

CLICK HERE TO GET THE FOX NEWS APP

The article was updated to include a statement from Sinclair.

Fox News' Brian Flood, Bradford Betz and Lindsay Kornick contributed to this report.