“Jimmy Kimmel Live” Returns To Nexstar & Sinclair ABC Channels

Following last week’s temporary pause of the “Jimmy Kimmel Live!” show following a backlash from ABC affiliates Nexstar and Sinclair, who pulled the show from the schedule after comments regarding the recent death of Charlie Kirk.

While Disney brought the show back after a week following a massive public backlash over concerns about freedom of speech, both Nexstar and Sinclair refused to bring the show back straight away.

However, both Nexstar and Sinclair have announced that the “Jimmy Kimmel Live” show will return to their ABC channels.

Sinclair said in a statement regarding the return:

Our objective throughout this process has been to ensure that programming remains accurate and engaging for the widest possible audience. We take seriously our responsibility as local broadcasters to provide programming that serves the interests of our communities, while also honoring our obligations to air national network programming.

Over the last week, we have received thoughtful feedback from viewers, advertisers, and community leaders representing a wide range of perspectives. We have also witnessed troubling acts of violence, including the despicable incident of a shooting at an ABC affiliate station in Sacramento. These events underscore why responsible broadcasting matters and why respectful dialogue between differing voices remains so important.

In our ongoing and constructive discussions with ABC, Sinclair proposed measures to strengthen accountability, viewer feedback, and community dialogue, including a network-wide independent ombudsman. These proposals were suggested as collaborative efforts between the ABC affiliates and the ABC network. While ABC and Disney have not yet adopted these measures, and Sinclair respects their right to make those decisions under our network affiliate agreements, we believe such measures could strengthen trust and accountability.

Our decision to preempt this program was independent of any government interaction or influence. Free speech provides broadcasters with the right to exercise judgment as to the content on their local stations. While we understand that not everyone will agree with our decisions about programming, it is simply inconsistent to champion free speech while demanding that broadcasters air specific content.

As a company rooted in local stations, Sinclair remains committed to serving our communities with programming that reflects their priorities, earns their trust, and promotes constructive dialogue. We look forward to continuing to work with ABC to deliver content that serves a broad spectrum of our communitie

While Nexstar also said:

We have had discussions with executives at The Walt Disney Company and appreciate their constructive approach to addressing our concerns. As a local broadcaster, Nexstar remains committed to protecting the First Amendment while producing and airing local and national news that is fact-based and unbiased and, above all, broadcasting content that is in the best interest of the communities we serve. We stand apart from cable television, monolithic streaming services, and national networks in our commitment – and obligation – to be stewards of the public airwaves and to protect and reflect the specific sensibilities of our communities. To be clear, our commitment to those principles has guided our decisions throughout this process, independent of any external influence from government agencies or individuals.

The “Jimmy Kimmel Live” show airs on weeknights at 11:35 pm on ABC, with episodes available the next day on Hulu and Hulu On Disney+.

Roger’s Take: Personally, this doesn’t come as a huge surprise, as once Disney had reinstated the show, it was only going to be a matter of time as most people realised the threats from the FCC Chairman, Brendan Carr and President Donald Trump were very much at odds with the first amendment and the move was getting critisied from both political sides. Nexstar and Sinclair held out long enough to make it appear as though they weren’t folding to Disney, but also didn’t want to endure the online backlash for much longer.  

What do you think of the “Jimmy Kimmel Live” show returning to these ABC affiliate channels? Let me know on social media!