Nexstar Media Group, one of the nation’s largest local TV station owners, said it will continue to preempt “Jimmy Kimmel Live!” ahead of the show’s return.
“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 a statement Tuesday. “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.”
In the meantime, Nexstar said its stations “will focus on continuing to produce local news and other programming relevant to their respective markets.” It noted that Kimmel’s show is still available on streaming.
Nexstar has been a focal point throughout the entire Kimmel saga. Already a behemoth, the station group is pending a $6.2 billion merger with rival Tegna, which would cement Nexstar’s dominant position. The FCC, where Trump appointees hold the majority, needs to approve that merger.
FCC Chairman Brendan Carr, a Trump appointee, publicly thanked Nexstar “for doing the right thing” for its initial decision to preempt Kimmel’s show, which the company announced before ABC’s sweeping suspension. During an appearance on a conservative podcast, Carr said that Kimmel’s comments about Charlie Kirk’s killing “appears to be some of the sickest conduct possible.”
Nexstar has said that it acted independently. At the time, Carr threatened local TV licenses, which the FCC controls.
Already, Sinclair Broadcast Group, the largest owner of local ABC affiliates, has said that it will preempt Kimmel’s show with news programming. Sinclair previously said that it would not lift its own suspension of Kimmel until “formal” discussions are held with ABC. It also called on the comedian to make a personal apology to Kirk’s family and “a meaningful personal donation to the Kirk family and TurningPoint USA.”
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On Tuesday, Carr said that Democrats were “are engaged in nothing more than Projection and Distortion.” He also praised the saga as an example of how local broadcasters can reassert their power.
“This is the first time recently that any local TV stations have pushed back on a national programmer like Disney,” Carr wrote on X. “And that is a good thing because we want want empowered local TV stations.”
Kimmel has yet to address his suspension and return, though he is expected to do so during his first show back.
This is developing…