ABC
Following the controversial decision to suspend Jimmy Kimmel due to pressure from FCC chair Brendan Carr, ABC has lifted the suspension, with Kimmel set to return to the air on Tuesday.
According to reports, after coming to an agreement to bring Jimmy Kimmel Live! back on the air on Tuesday, September 23, Disney is “in the dark” regarding what he plans to say on Tuesday. The decision to lift Kimmel’s suspension was made on Monday, September 22.
Despite the decision from Disney, local TV affiliate broadcaster Sinclair has announced they will be “preempting” Jimmy Kimmel Live! and keeping it off the air.
“Beginning Tuesday night, Sinclair will be preempting Jimmy Kimmel Live! across our ABC affiliate stations and replacing it with news programming. Discussions with ABC are ongoing as we evaluate the show’s potential return,” the company said in a statement.
Of ABC’s 205 affiliate stations, 31 are owned by Sinclair — Sinclair and Nexstar, another broadcaster at the center of the Kimmel controversy — own 63 ABC affiliates and another 13 are owned by Tegna.
Disney reportedly doesn’t know what Jimmy Kimmel will say upon his return from suspension
“’Jimmy will say what Jimmy wants to say,’ a source says regarding what restrictions, if any, were placed on the past Oscar host as a condition of his return.” [via Deadline]
The suspension of Kimmel came after news broke earlier this year that CBS — whose parent company Paramount is seeking government approval for a merger with Skydance — canceled The Late Show with Stephen Colbert for “financial reasons.”
Following the news of Kimmel’s suspension last week, President Trump then set his sights on Jimmy Fallon and Seth Meyers over on NBC.
“Great News for America: The ratings challenged Jimmy Kimmel Show is CANCELLED. Congratulations to ABC for finally having the courage to do what had to be done. Kimmel has ZERO talent, and worse ratings than even Colbert, if that’s possible. That leaves Jimmy and Seth, two total losers, on Fake News NBC. Their ratings are also horrible. Do it NBC!!!” Trump wrote on Truth Social last week.
Kimmel has yet to publicly comment on his suspension, thus making whatever he says during his monologue on Tuesday night his first public statement on the matter.