Nexstar-owned ABC affiliates won't show Kimmel's return Tuesday, joining Sinclair in preempting program

Jimmy Kimmel speaks during the Disney Advertising Upfront showcase event on Tuesday, May 13, 2025 at North Javits in New York City.

Nexstar Media Group , one of the largest owners of broadcast TV stations, said it would not air the return of "Jimmy Kimmel Live!" on Tuesday.

The company joins Sinclair, which said Monday it didn't plan to air the late-night show, and instead would show other programming.

ABC parent Disney announced Monday it would bring back "Jimmy Kimmel Live!" after pausing the show indefinitely last week following comments by host Kimmel that linked the alleged killer of conservative activist Charlie Kirk to President Donald Trump's MAGA movement.

Nexstar was among the first to respond to Kimmel's comments.

"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. 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," Nexstar said in a Tuesday statement.

"In the meantime, we note that 'Jimmy Kimmel Live!' will be available nationwide on multiple Disney-owned streaming products, while our stations will focus on continuing to produce local news and other programming relevant to their respective markets," the company said.

Nexstar and Sinclair are among the largest broadcast TV station owners in the U.S. The companies own and operate stations in local markets that are affiliated with major networks including ABC, Fox, NBC and CBS.

Nexstar owns roughly 30 stations affiliated with ABC in markets including Salt Lake City, Nashville, Tennessee, and New Orleans. Sinclair owns and operates nearly 40 ABC affiliate stations.

Sinclair last week followed Nexstar in preempting Kimmel's show. The station owner said late Monday it would still preempt "Jimmy Kimmel Live!" after ABC returned it to broadcast this week.

In a statement, Sinclair said discussions with ABC were "ongoing as we evaluate the show's potential return."

A Disney representative on Monday didn't comment on the discussions with Sinclair and other affiliate station owners. The company didn't immediately respond to a request for comment on Tuesday.

In its statement on Monday announcing Kimmel's return, Disney said it "made the decision to suspend production on the show to avoid further inflaming a tense situation at an emotional moment for our country."

Disney CEO Bob Iger and Dana Walden, co-chair of Disney Entertainment, made the decision to return Kimmel to air and alerted the comedian on Monday, CNBC reported. Local station owners learned on Monday when Disney made the public announcement that Kimmel would return, CNBC reported at the time.