In spite of the return of “Jimmy Kimmel Live!” to television screens on Tuesday evening, garnering significant viewership on YouTube the following day, Nexstar, the station owner, announced its decision to continue excluding the show from their programming lineup.
A statement released on Wednesday by Nexstar mentioned that they are currently reviewing the status of “Jimmy Kimmel Live!” on their ABC-affiliated local television stations and, during this evaluation process, the show will be preempted. The statement highlighted the ongoing discussions with Disney, the parent company of ABC.
Nexstar, which operates 32 ABC affiliate stations, and Sinclair, another broadcast group, have refrained from airing Jimmy Kimmel’s show since the prior week. These two station owners account for approximately 25 percent of all affiliates and ceased airing “Jimmy Kimmel Live!” following Kimmel’s remarks concerning the alleged shooter of conservative activist Charlie Kirk.
In his monologue on September 15, Kimmel criticized the MAGA group for their attempts to distance themselves from the individual accused of murdering Charlie Kirk, aiming to score political points from the situation.
ABC announced the indefinite suspension of “Jimmy Kimmel Live!” on September 17 without immediate explanations. Following discussions between Kimmel and Disney, the talk show returned to air on Tuesday night. Kimmel, visibly emotional during his opening monologue, clarified that it was never his intention to trivialize the tragic event and expressed understanding for the confusion caused by his comments.
Despite not airing in 23 percent of U.S. TV households, the episode attracted 6.26 million broadcast viewers, according to a news release from Disney and ABC Entertainment. Kimmel’s opening monologue on YouTube amassed over 15 million views by Wednesday afternoon, setting a new viewership record on the platform. Across all social platforms, Disney reported a total of 26 million views for the monologue.
Former President Barack Obama criticized the government’s interference with media companies, urging them to resist succumbing to regulatory pressure. Various celebrities, including prominent late-night hosts and Hollywood stars, voiced their support for Kimmel and condemned ABC’s suspension of the show as a threat to free speech.
Podcaster Joe Rogan defended Kimmel against attacks on free speech, emphasizing the importance of companies standing up against government coercion. Conversely, figures like Megyn Kelly disputed Kimmel’s comments, labeling them as false and calling for an apology.
In response to Nexstar and Sinclair’s ongoing preemption of “Jimmy Kimmel Live!” protests have emerged in various cities across America, including demonstrations in front of Nexstar and Sinclair-owned stations in Ohio, Seattle, and Texas.