Sinclair to Preempt Jimmy Kimmel Live! on ABC Stations as Disney Ends Suspension

Sinclair Broadcast Group said Monday that it will preempt ABC’s Jimmy Kimmel Live! starting Tuesday night across its ABC affiliate stations, replacing the late-night program with news programming. Discussions with ABC are ongoing as the company evaluates the show’s potential return.

Last week, Kimmel’s remarks about the alleged assassin of Charlie Kirk drew widespread backlash and spurred actions by Sinclair and Nexstar to pull the program from dozens of ABC affiliates. Disney then suspended production to avoid inflaming a tense moment in the country, and on Monday said the show would return Tuesday after discussions with Jimmy Kimmel. The company emphasized the decision followed thoughtful conversations and a review of the comments’ timing and impact.

Sinclair’s vice chairman, Jason Smith, said, "Mr. Kimmel’s remarks were inappropriate and deeply insensitive at a critical moment for our country." He added that Sinclair would not lift its suspension until it was confident that appropriate steps had been taken to uphold the standards expected of a national broadcast platform. The company also called for an apology to the Kirk family and a meaningful personal donation to the Kirk family and Turning Point USA, outlining that preemption would continue regardless of ABC’s plans for the program’s future.

Nexstar, which owns a substantial portfolio of ABC affiliates, joined Sinclair last week in pulling Kimmel from its stations. Disney’s stance and the subsequent reversal set the stage for a complicated dynamic in which ABC-owned programming could return to air on the network while Sinclair-owned affiliates run their own schedules. Disney announced that Kimmel would return on Tuesday after conversation with the host and a broader assessment of the incident’s impact on viewers and staff.

The development underscores ongoing tensions in broadcast news and late-night entertainment tied to political commentary, with ownership groups asserting scheduling authority across large regional networks. For audiences, the shift means one night of conventional late-night viewing could be replaced by locally produced or national news segments on a wide swath of ABC affiliates, even as Disney signals a path toward returning the network’s flagship program.

As the situation unfolds, observers will watch how ABC and its affiliated stations navigate a high-profile dispute over content, standards, and the management of national programming across an array of local outlets. The broader market implications could influence scheduling strategies for other broadcast groups facing similar conflicts over late-night content and advertiser alignment, especially as corporate ownership aligns with evolving public expectations and regulatory considerations.