In a recent development, Disney has announced that it will resume airing new episodes of “Jimmy Kimmel Live!” starting on Tuesday. However, Nexstar Media, a significant TV station group owner, has declared that it will continue to preempt the show.
Nexstar released a statement affirming its stance: “We made a decision last week to preempt ‘Jimmy Kimmel Live!’ following what ABC termed Mr. Kimmel’s ‘ill-timed and insensitive’ remarks during a critical time in our national discourse. We stand by our decision until we are assured that all involved parties are dedicated to promoting a respectful and constructive dialogue within the communities we serve. Meanwhile, ‘Jimmy Kimmel Live!’ will still be accessible nationwide through several Disney-owned streaming platforms, while our local stations will continue to prioritize news and relevant programming for their respective audiences.”
Nexstar operates 32 ABC-affiliated stations, and their decision follows a similar announcement from Sinclair, which stated on Monday that it would also preempt “Jimmy Kimmel Live!” across its 38 ABC local stations starting Tuesday, despite Disney lifting the suspension. A Sinclair representative explained, “Beginning Tuesday night, we will be preempting ‘Jimmy Kimmel Live!’ across our ABC affiliate stations and substituting it with news programming. Discussions with ABC are ongoing as we consider the show’s potential return.”
The series was initially pulled by Disney following comments made by Jimmy Kimmel regarding the individual responsible for the murder of conservative activist Charlie Kirk. This action came after serious considerations from both Nexstar and Sinclair, prompted by FCC Chair Brendan Carr’s indication that the agency might launch an investigation into “news distortion” complaints against ABC stations unless Kimmel’s show was taken off air.
After several days of deliberation among Disney’s leadership, they conveyed on Monday that the suspension had concluded: “Last Wednesday, we decided to halt production on the show to prevent aggravating an already tense situation at an emotionally charged time for our nation. This was a decision made in light of what we felt were ill-timed and insensitive comments. Over the past few days, we have engaged in thoughtful discussions with Jimmy and ultimately decided to return the show on Tuesday.”
More updates will follow…
