‘Jimmy Kimmel Live’ Returns to Sinclair, Nexstar ABC Affiliate Stations in Reversal

2 PM PT — Shortly after Sinclair’s announcement, Nexstar confirmed that its ABC affiliate stations would bring back “Jimmy Kimmel Live!” starting tonight.

The Jimmy Kimmel extended hiatus is now over, as “Live!” is set to return on all 38 ABC affiliate stations under Sinclair Broadcasting Group, according to their announcement released today.

Sinclair revealed that a surge of viewer feedback — from audiences, advertisers, and community leaders alike — precipitated this decision, underscoring the necessity of maintaining Kimmel’s presence for healthy public discourse across diverse viewpoints.

Earlier this week, ABC planned for Kimmel’s return on Tuesday night; however, Sinclair and Nexstar Media Group — both giants in the media landscape, controlling a significant share of local affiliate stations — expressed their reluctance to reinstate Kimmel, leaving a considerable 20% of the national audience without his show during ongoing negotiations with Disney.

As of midday Friday, Nexstar continued to preempt Kimmel’s show.

In its statement, Sinclair also addressed the recent alarming shooting incident at a Sacramento ABC affiliate that occurred last week. Jimmy’s return comes just days after his show managed to reintegrate with Disney’s ABC network following a near week-long suspension stemming from contentious remarks about the suspected perpetrator of violence against Charlie Kirk and President Trump, made under the watchful eye of the FCC chairman’s veiled threats.

Kimmel’s return to the airwaves earlier this week broke ratings records, proving that after all this turmoil, viewers evidently know what they want: order has been restored!