Nexstar, Sinclair to keep Jimmy Kimmel off its ABC stations despite show reinstatement

Nexstar's ABC affiliates won't show Kimmel's return

Nexstar Media Group said it would not air the return of Jimmy Kimmel's show on Tuesday.

LOS ANGELES - Jimmy Kimmel will return to late-night television on Tuesday following a nearly weeklong suspension that sparked a nationwide debate over freedom of speech and President Donald Trump’s efforts to regulate the words of journalists, commentators, and even comedians.

But two groups of ABC affiliates that denounced Kimmel last week said they would not carry his return. 

What they're saying:

Nexstar Media Group said it would continue to preempt the show, "pending assurances that all parties are committed to fostering an environment of respectful, constructive dialogue in the markets we serve." 

RELATED: Jimmy Kimmel to return to late-night after ABC suspension

Sinclair Broadcast Group said it would also keep Kimmel off its stations. The two corporations collectively control about a quarter of ABC affiliates.

ABC, which suspended Kimmel's show last Wednesday following criticism of his comments about the assassination of conservative activist Charlie Kirk, announced Monday that "Jimmy Kimmel Live!" would return after the network had "thoughtful conversations" with the host.

"Our long national late nightmare is over," Stephen Colbert joked on his CBS show in response to Kimmel's reinstatement.

Jimmy Kimmel Live returns tonight

ABC says ?Jimmy Kimmel Live!? will return to the network tonight, ending nearly a weeklong standoff against the host over some comments made in the wake of Charlie Kirks death. However, viewers in some markets won?t see Kimmel?s comeback. Sinclair Broadcast Group, one of the nation?s largest owners of local TV stations, said its ABC affiliates will preempt the program starting Tuesday and air news programming in its place. FOX 11 LA's Rachel Aragon has the latest.

The other side:

How — or even whether — Kimmel would address the controversy on his first show back remained a mystery. Millions of people are likely to watch.

Kimmel did post a tribute to Norman Lear on Instagram Tuesday. Lear, the writer, director and producer who revolutionized prime time television with "All in the Family," "The Jeffersons" and "Maude," propelling political and social turmoil into the once-insulated world of TV sitcoms, died in 2023 at the age of 101.

"Missing this guy today," Kimmel wrote.

The backstory:

ABC suspended Kimmel indefinitely after comments he made in a monologue last week. Kimmel suggested that many Trump supporters were trying to capitalize on Kirk’s death and were "desperately trying to characterize this kid who murdered Charlie Kirk as anything other than one of them."

RELATED: Presidents Trump, Obama react to ABC's Jimmy Kimmel decision

Disney and ABC executives reportedly negotiated the return for several days before announcing the resolution. The ABC statement said the suspension happened because some of Kimmel's comments were "ill-timed and thus insensitive," but it did not call them misleading.

Andrew Kolvet, a spokesperson for Turning Point USA, the organization founded by Kirk and now headed by his widow, posted on X that "Disney and ABC caving and allowing Kimmel back on the air is not surprising, but it’s their mistake to make."

ABC pulls Jimmy Kimmel off the air 'indefinitely'

Trial attorney Tre Lovell joins LiveNOW's Andy Mac to discuss the recent news on ABC pulling the late-night talk show Jimmy Kimmel Live! off the air 'indefinitely' after Kimmel made comments about the assassination of conservative activist Charlie Kirk.

Dig deeper:

Trump-appointed Federal Communications Commission Chairman Brendan Carr last week said it appeared that Kimmel was trying to "directly mislead the American public" with his remarks about Tyler Robinson, the 22-year-old Utah man charged with Kirk's killing, and his motives. Those motives remain unclear. Authorities say Robinson grew up in a conservative family, but his mother told investigators his son had turned left politically in the last year.

"We can do this the easy way or the hard way," Carr said before ABC announced the suspension. "These companies can find ways to change conduct, to take action, frankly, on Kimmel, or there is going to be additional work for the FCC ahead."

RELATED: FCC Chair Brendan Carr defends ABC affiliates pulling Jimmy Kimmel show

Those remarks set a backlash in motion, with Republican Sen. Ted Cruz saying that Carr acted like "a mafioso." Hundreds of entertainment luminaries, including Tom Hanks, Barbra Streisand and Jennifer Aniston, signed a letter circulated by the American Civil Liberties Union that called ABC's move "a dark moment for freedom of speech in our nation."

President Trump reacts to Kimmel's suspension

President Donald Trump reacted to Jimmy Kimmel's suspension on Thursday. Trump said in a post, "Great News for America."

Some consumers punished ABC parent Disney by canceling subscriptions to its streaming services.

Trump had hailed Kimmel's suspension, even inaccurately saying the show had been canceled. Kimmel has been a relentless Trump critic in his comedy.

Trump's administration has used threats, lawsuits and federal government pressure to try to exert more control over the media industry. Trump sued ABC and CBS over news coverage, which the companies settled. Trump has also filed defamation lawsuits against The Wall Street Journal and The New York Times, and successfully urged Congress to strip federal funding from NPR and PBS.

Big picture view:

The suspension happened at a time when the late-night landscape is shifting. Shows are losing viewers, in part because many watch highlights the next day online. CBS announced the cancellation of Colbert’s show over the summer. Kimmel's contract with ABC reportedly lasts through May.

Colbert, in his opening monologue Monday, grabbed his recently won Emmy Award for outstanding talk series, saying, "Once more, I am the only martyr on late night!"