David Bridges
Jimmy Kimmel
Return Won’t Be Seen On All ABC Stations …
Sinclair Won’t Air ‘Live!’
Published September 22, 2025 6:11 PM PDT
Jimmy Kimmel is getting back on the air after a brief suspension, but not everyone will be able to see him on ABC when “Jimmy Kimmel Live!” returns Tuesday … because a major broadcast company is holding out.
Sinclair, which owns a ton of ABC affiliates across the country, says … “Beginning Tuesday night, Sinclair will be preempting Jimmy Kimmel Live! across our ABC affiliate stations and replacing it with news programming.”
TMZ.com
It sounds like Jimmy could still make his eventual return to ABC affiliates under the Sinclair umbrella … the company adds, “Discussions with ABC are ongoing as we evaluate the show’s potential return.”
Kimmel was put in timeout last week after Sinclair and Nexstar, another broadcast company that owns a bunch of ABC affiliate stations, announced they would preempt ‘Live!’ with other programming after backlash over Kimmel’s comments on Charlie Kirk‘s alleged murderer and pressure from President Trump‘s FCC.
9/15/25
ABC
The Walt Disney Company, which owns ABC, then took Kimmel off all of ABC after Sinclair and Nexstar made the first move.
Disney announced earlier today Kimmel’s show would return Tuesday … but it sounds like not all Americans will see it.
Key Insights
- Broadcast Reach: Sinclair will not air ‘Jimmy Kimmel Live!’ on its ABC affiliates.
- Program Replacement: The show will be replaced with news programming starting Tuesday night.
- Return Discussions: Ongoing talks may lead to Kimmel’s eventual return to ABC affiliates.
- Cancellation Context: Kimmel’s suspension follows backlash over controversial comments.
Mason Thompson
Clara Hastings
