Sinclair won’t air ‘Jimmy Kimmel Live!’ on ABC affiliates when show returns

Jimmy Kimmel is getting back on the air after a brief suspension, but not all viewers will be able to watch him on ABC when Jimmy Kimmel Live! returns Tuesday, September 23, as a major broadcast company is holding out.

Sinclair, which owns a significant number of ABC affiliates across the country, announced that beginning Tuesday night, it will preempt Jimmy Kimmel Live! on its stations and replace the show with news programming. The company added that discussions with ABC are ongoing as it evaluates the show’s potential return to Sinclair-owned affiliates.

Kimmel was suspended last week after Sinclair and Nexstar, another broadcast company with numerous ABC affiliates, decided to preempt Live! following backlash over Kimmel’s comments regarding Charlie Kirk’s alleged murderer, combined with pressure from President Trump’s FCC.

Following this initial preemption, Disney, which owns ABC, also pulled the show from its network temporarily. Disney has now confirmed that Jimmy Kimmel Live! will return to ABC on Tuesday, though not all viewers nationwide will be able to see it due to local affiliate decisions.