ABC brings back ‘Jimmy Kimmel Live!’ after controversial suspension — with a big catch
After nearly a week of tense speculation, ABC has announced that ‘Jimmy Kimmel Live!’ will officially return to the network on Tuesday night (September 23), ending a standoff that drew national attention. The return, however, won’t be uniform across the country. Sinclair Broadcast Group, one of the largest operators of ABC-affiliated stations in the U.S., confirmed that it will preempt Kimmel’s late-night show “beginning Tuesday.” Instead, Sinclair said it will air local news programming during the time slot. “Discussions with ABC are ongoing as we evaluate the show’s potential return,” a Sinclair spokesperson told CNN.
This leaves viewers in certain markets unsure about whether they’ll see the host back on their screens. The controversy ignited last week following a monologue in which Kimmel addressed the MAGA movement’s reaction to the assassination of 22-year-old Charlie Kirk. Kimmel criticized efforts to distance the accused from political affiliations, saying the movement was attempting to “score political points” while grieving the tragedy. The segment quickly drew sharp criticism from conservative figures, who accused the host of overstepping boundaries.
Within days, the debate escalated dramatically. Brendan Carr, a Trump ally and FCC commissioner, publicly suggested suspending Kimmel, invoking the federal agency’s oversight of local television stations. Almost immediately, two major station groups, Sinclair and Nexstar, announced plans to preempt the show, as per Forbes. It prompted ABC to suspend it entirely. The sequence of events triggered a nationwide conversation. Disney, ABC’s parent company, defended the decision to halt production last Wednesday.
In a statement on Monday, the company explained, “Last Wednesday, 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, and after those conversations, we reached the decision to return the show on Tuesday.” Sources familiar with Kimmel’s plans say the host intends to directly address the controversy during Tuesday’s monologue. Meanwhile, Nexstar has not yet confirmed whether it will air the program, leaving viewers uncertain if they will see the show resume at its usual 11.35 p.m. ET time slot.
