On September 23, 2025, ABC announced that “Jimmy Kimmel Live!” would return on Tuesday. However, the Sinclair Group, which operates over 35 ABC-affiliated television stations across the United States, stated that they would not be airing “Jimmy Kimmel Live!” and would replace it with news programs.
In a statement, Disney, the parent company of ABC, explained that they had decided to temporarily suspend the production of the show last Wednesday to avoid escalating tensions during a sensitive time in the country. They mentioned that some comments were deemed inappropriate and lacked sensitivity.
Disney further elaborated that after thoughtful discussions with Jimmy, they made the decision for the show to return on Tuesday.
The controversy leading to the suspension stemmed from controversial remarks made by host Jimmy Kimmel during a monologue last Monday. He made comments regarding the conservative “Make America Great Again” (MAGA) movement in relation to the assassination of conservative activist Charlie Kirk.
Following Kirk’s assassination by Tyler Robinson, there was a surge in conservative activism across the United States with various events held to mourn Kirk.
Jimmy Kimmel’s remarks quickly sparked backlash, with FCC Commissioner Brendan Carr suggesting that his comments on the show could prompt regulatory action for possibly distorting news facts.
Subsequently, Nexstar and Sinclair, as major owners of ABC affiliates, announced the removal of “Jimmy Kimmel Live!” from their television stations.
Despite this, over 400 celebrities from the film, television, and theater industries, including comedians, directors, and writers, spoke out in defense of Kimmel.
After Disney’s announcement of the show’s return, Sinclair reiterated on Monday that they would still not broadcast the program temporarily.
In a statement on their social media platform, the company expressed that starting from Tuesday night, all ABC affiliate stations under their ownership would suspend airing “Jimmy Kimmel Live!” and replace it with news programs.
The statement mentioned ongoing discussions with ABC, evaluating the possibility of the show’s return.
It remains unclear whether Nexstar’s television stations will resume airing the show on Tuesday simultaneously.
Andrew Kolvet, a spokesperson for “Turning Point USA,” an initiative founded by Kirk, voiced on X platform, stating, “Disney and ABC giving in and allowing Kimmel back on screen is not surprising, but it’s their own mistake, and Nexstar and Sinclair TV network need not make the same choice.”
However, Anna M. Gomez, the only Democratic member of the FCC, expressed her satisfaction in seeing Disney “regain courage” and thanked Americans from different ideologies for standing up against attempts to restrict freedom of speech.