Jimmy Kimmel's show returns, but major affiliate station owners won't air the program
Disney and ABC announced on Monday that, following his indefinite suspension last week, late-night TV host Jimmy Kimmel's "Live!" show would return to the broadcast network's air on Tuesday.
That return will not be a triumphant one, however, as Sinclair Broadcast Group, which owns nearly 40 local ABC affiliates nationwide, will continue to preempt Kimmel's weeknight program, according to the Daily Mail.
Sinclair, along with fellow local affiliate owner Nexstar Media Group, which also won't run Kimmel's show after it returns, dropped the program last week in protest against false and insensitive remarks the comedic host made about the Charlie Kirk assassination.
Kimmel returns on Tuesday
ABC News reported on Monday that, according to parent company Disney, Kimmel's late-night show would return on Tuesday following the suspension that was first announced on September 17 amid sharp public backlash to the host's questionable commentary about the Kirk assassination.
"Last Wednesday," Disney said, "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," the company added, "and after those conversations, we reached the decision to return the show on Tuesday."
Kimmel won't be airing on Sinclair stations
However, Kimmel's show won't be seen on any of the 39 local ABC affiliates owned by Sinclair, according to the Daily Mail, which announced on Monday that it would continue to air alternate programming in its timeslot.
"Beginning Tuesday night, Sinclair will be preempting Jimmy Kimmel Live! across our ABC affiliate stations and replacing it with news programming," the company stated. "Discussions with ABC are ongoing as we evaluate the show's potential return."
Less than a week earlier, Sinclair had chastised Kimmel and ABC for the host's "inappropriate and deeply insensitive" remarks about Kirk's assassin, whom he falsely attempted to link to the right-wing "MAGA" crowd despite evidence that the shooter was a leftist.
At that time, Sinclair called for "formal discussions" with ABC about the broadcast network’s "commitment to professionalism and accountability," and further called upon Kimmel to sincerely apologize to the Kirk family and the public, as well as to make a "meaningful personal donation" to the Kirk family and Kirk's organization, Turning Point USA.
Nexstar also won't air Kimmel's show
Sinclair will not be alone in refusing to air Kimmel's show when it returns to ABC on Tuesday, as Business Insider reported that Nexstar made a similar announcement on Tuesday morning.
"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," Nexstar said in the statement.
"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," the company continued.
In place of Kimmel's program, Nexstar added, its stations would "focus on continuing to produce local news and other programming relevant to their respective markets," though Kimmel's program would be available for streaming for those viewers who wanted to watch it.