It has been confirmed that the return of Jimmy Kimmel Live! on ABC will not be airing on the many local television stations owned by Sinclair Broadcast Group, at least for the foreseeable future.
Return of Jimmy Kimmel Live!
It was announced by Disney-owned ABC earlier tonight that Jimmy Kimmel would be returning to the air with Jimmy Kimmel Live! starting tomorrow, September 23. Kimmel was pulled off the air beginning on September 17, following some viral comments he made regarding the assassination of Charlie Kirk.
Kimmel had reportedly been in lengthy talks with ABC and Disney executives. An article from Deadline revealed that said conversations involved Disney CEO Bob Iger, Disney Entertainment chief Dana Walden, Kimmel, and members of Kimmel’s team. Iger and Walden reportedly signed off on Kimmel’s upcoming return to ABC this morning, “after a last minute flurry of paperwork, texts and calls with Team Jimmy.”
An ABC spokesperson explained the decision for Kimmel to return.
We have spent the last days having thoughtful conversations with Jimmy, and after those conversations, we reached the decision to return the show on Tuesday.
Sinclair Broadcast Group
One of the factors that is believed to have played a role in the decision for ABC to pull Kimmel was a series of statements and calls from the broadcast groups and companies that own the stations on which ABC programming is aired. In particular, Sinclair Broadcast Group is the nation’s largest ABC affiliate conglomerate.
In a new statement reported by Deadline, Sinclair has now confirmed that when Kimmel returns on Tuesday night, over 30 of the stations owned by the group will not be airing it. A Sinclair spokesperson announced,
Beginning Tuesday night, Sinclair will be preempting Jimmy Kimmel Live! across our ABC affiliate stations and replacing it with news programming. Discussions with ABC are ongoing as we evaluate the show’s potential return.
As mentioned in the statement, the show will be preempted and replaced with various news programs.
So far, there has been no response from Nexstar, another major media company that is one of the biggest owners of local TV stations in the U.S. Andrew Alford, President of Nexstar’s Broadcasting Division, initially made a statement calling Kimmel’s comments “offensive and insensitive at a critical time in our national political discourse.”
For the latest Disney Parks news and info, follow WDW News Today on Twitter, Facebook, and Instagram.
