Jimmy Kimmel

Jimmy Kimmel Set to Return to ABC After Week-Long Suspension Why & How?

Last Updated: September 25, 2025|By |

Don’t Miss

Jimmy Kimmel is headed back to the late-night lineup. ABC’s parent company, Disney, announced Monday that Jimmy Kimmel Live! will return to the network on Tuesday, ending a nearly week-long preemption that started after a controversial monologue about the killing of conservative commentator Charlie Kirk.

But the return will not look the same everywhere. Major station groups that led the initial push to pull the show — notably Sinclair and Nexstar — have signaled they won’t immediately carry Kimmel’s comeback across all of their ABC affiliates. Sinclair said it will replace the time slot with local news programming “beginning Tuesday night” while discussions with ABC continue. That means viewers in many markets still may not see Jimmy Kimmel on the night he returns.

For those who want straight answer

Return date: Tuesday, September 23, 2025.

Where it will air: ABC network stations nationwide where affiliates carry it (i.e., ABC will put Jimmy Kimmel Live! back on the ABC schedule).

Where it will NOT air (at least initially): Major station groups Sinclair and Nexstar have said they will preempt the show on their ABC affiliates — meaning many local markets owned by those groups will replace the time slot with local news or other programming and will not carry Kimmel’s return. Nexstar’s official release confirms it will continue preempting, and Sinclair publicly announced it will preempt beginning Tuesday night.

Availability note: Nexstar’s release also notes the program will be available on Disney-owned streaming products even if some local ABC affiliates preempt the broadcast.

Jimmy Kimmel
Img Source: usatoday.com

What sparked the suspension?

The chain of events began after a Monday night monologue in which Kimmel criticized what he called efforts by some on the right to distance themselves from the accused killer in Charlie Kirk’s death. Conservatives condemned the comments as inappropriate and insensitive. The situation escalated after FCC Chair Brendan Carr publicly suggested disciplinary action, and within hours several big station owners announced they would preempt the program locally — a move that pressured Disney to pull the show from the air while it sorted things out.

Disney said it suspended production “to avoid further inflaming a tense situation at an emotional moment for our country,” calling some of Kimmel’s remarks “ill-timed and thus insensitive.” After several days of “thoughtful conversations” between Disney executives and Jimmy Kimmel, the company decided to put the show back on the schedule. Disney leaders, including CEO Bob Iger and co-chair Dana Walden, were reported to be navigating competing pressures — from station partners, regulators and public backlash.

staff and the behind-the-scenes reality: One immediate concern through the suspension was the show’s crew. Jimmy Kimmel Live! employs roughly 200–250 people, and reports say ABC/Disney agreed to continue paying the crew through next week as talks continued about the show’s future — a move that suggested the company wanted to buy time for a negotiated return rather than a longer shutdown. Sources close to the production said Jimmy Kimmel has been focused on protecting his staff’s livelihood while he negotiates with network executives.

Kimmel has a long record of looking after his crew (during the 2023 strikes and other shutdowns he arranged support for staff), and that reputation helped keep attention on the human cost of a network-level pull. Protests by industry unions and demonstrations outside Disney and the El Capitan Theatre in Hollywood added pressure on the company to find a resolution.

Free-speech debate and celebrity support

The suspension quickly became a flashpoint in a broader debate about free speech, government pressure on private media, and where networks draw the line. The American Civil Liberties Union organized an open letter backing Jimmy Kimmel and warning of a “dark moment for freedom of speech,” and more than 400 artists and entertainers — including household names — signed on. That public outcry, from both the left and some across the political spectrum, helped turn the tide in the court of public opinion.

Free-speech advocates and some lawmakers framed the initial suspension as a worrisome example of regulatory or political intimidation. At the same time, station owners framed their actions as a local-market business decision and a reaction to community standards. The competing narratives made the dispute as much about politics and power as it was about a single monologue.

Why Disney changed course

Multiple factors appear to have pushed Disney to reinstate the program. The company explicitly cited days of conversations with Jimmy Kimmel and the desire to avoid inflaming tensions as reasons for both the suspension and the reversal. But media analysts also point to business incentives: public backlash (including high-profile criticism, protests and reported subscription cancellations) and the complex web of station partnerships and regulatory approvals that matter to Disney’s broader deals likely weighed heavily in the decision. Still, the network’s reversal did not guarantee uniform distribution — station owners that led the preemption remain free to keep the show off their local airwaves.

What to expect when Kimmel returns

Kimmel is expected to address the controversy on air during his return monologue. Whether he apologizes, doubles down, or takes a different tack remains to be seen, and how affiliates like Nexstar and Sinclair respond in the longer term will be an important part of the story. Industry watchers will also be watching whether there are any formal conditions imposed on the show’s content, changes to Jimmy Kimmel contract (which is reportedly up for negotiation), or further fallout that could reshape network-affiliate relations and the late-night landscape.

Bottom line

Jimmy Kimmel’s return to ABC ends the immediate network suspension, but the episode exposed fragile balances: between hosts and networks, stations and regulators, speech and commerce. The comeback signals that Disney wanted to de-escalate and keep its late-night franchise intact — for now — but the fractured distribution and heightened political scrutiny show the fallout is far from over. For viewers, the next few nights will show whether the show’s revival settles the issue or simply moves the fight to a new stage.

Sources and References:

Leave A Comment

you might also like