In a surprising turn of events, late-night television host Jimmy Kimmel is set to make his return to ABC this Tuesday night, but not without significant hurdles. The network faces a major setback as Nexstar, a prominent affiliate group, has decided to pull the plug on airing "Jimmy Kimmel Live!" in its markets. This decision follows a similar move by Sinclair Broadcast Group, which has also opted to preempt Kimmel's show after a brief hiatus of six days.
Nexstar's announcement came with a clear statement regarding their reasoning. They cited Kimmel's controversial remarks about conservatives and a recent incident involving the alleged assassin of political commentator Charlie Kirk as the primary factors for their decision. In a statement to Variety, Nexstar expressed their commitment to maintaining a respectful dialogue in the communities they serve, stating, "We made a decision last week to preempt 'Jimmy Kimmel Live!' following what ABC referred to as Mr. Kimmel’s ‘ill-timed and insensitive’ comments at a critical time in our national discourse."
The company further emphasized their stance, saying, "We stand by that decision pending assurance that all parties are committed to fostering an environment of respectful, constructive dialogue in the markets we serve." They also pointed out that while Kimmel's show will not be available on their stations, it can still be accessed nationwide through various Disney-owned streaming platforms. Meanwhile, Nexstar's affiliates will continue to focus on delivering local news and programming that resonates with their audiences.
🚨 BREAKING: Nexstar, the largest ABC affiliate group, is REFUSING to air Jimmy Kimmel on their networks. This means that over sixty ABC stations will not be broadcasting Kimmel's show, as Sinclair has also chosen not to reinstate it.
The situation escalated quickly, as just a day prior, Sinclair had announced its own decision to preempt Kimmel's return, opting instead to air news programming across its ABC affiliate stations. Sinclair's statement indicated that discussions with ABC are ongoing as they assess the potential for Kimmel's show to return in the future.
Kimmel's recent troubles began after he made misleading comments about the individual suspected of assassinating Charlie Kirk. Ignoring official statements from law enforcement and public officials, Kimmel inaccurately labeled the 22-year-old suspect, Tyler Robinson, as being aligned with the "MAGA" movement. He remarked to his audience, "We hit some new lows over the weekend with the MAGA gang desperately trying to characterize this kid who murdered Charlie Kirk as anything other than one of them and doing everything they can to score political points from it."
In response to the backlash, ABC announced two days later that Kimmel would be taking a hiatus. Disney later confirmed Kimmel's return, stating, "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."
After thoughtful discussions with Kimmel, Disney decided to bring the show back on Tuesday. However, it’s important to note that Kimmel's program will not be available in the 28 ABC markets operated by Nexstar or the 38 markets under Sinclair's control. As of early Tuesday afternoon, neither Kimmel nor ABC had issued any comments regarding the blackout by these two major networks.
This situation raises an intriguing question: Did ABC make a misstep by reinstating Jimmy Kimmel? As the late-night landscape continues to evolve, the implications of Kimmel's return and the reactions from affiliate networks could spark a broader conversation about the role of political commentary in entertainment. What do you think? Should Kimmel be held accountable for his remarks, or is this an overreaction by the networks? Share your thoughts in the comments!
