PULSE POINTS

❓WHAT HAPPENED: Nexstar Media Group said it would not air the return of Jimmy Kimmel Live! on Tuesday, choosing to preempt the show despite ABC’s reinstatement.

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👤WHO WAS INVOLVED: Nexstar Media Group; Sinclair; ABC parent Disney; Jimmy Kimmel; viewers in affected broadcast markets.

📍WHEN & WHERE: Tuesday across Nexstar television markets nationwide, following ABC’s decision to bring the show back.

💬KEY QUOTE: “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 Media Group

🎯IMPACT: Kimmel will be replaced with other programming on Nexstar and Sinclair stations while remaining available on Disney-owned streaming.

Nexstar Media Group announced on September 23 that it will join Sinclair Broadcast Group in refusing to air the return of Jimmy Kimmel Live! on its ABC affiliate stations. The late-night show is scheduled to resume on Tuesday after being paused last week by parent company Disney. The pause followed false statements by host Jimmy Kimmel linking the alleged assassin of Turning Point USA founder Charlie Kirk to President Donald J. Trump’s Make America Great Again (MAGA) movement, despite his radical left beliefs.

Nexstar, which operates nearly 200 Television stations nationwide, noted that it decided to preempt the show last week and has no plans to reverse it. “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,” the company said in a statement Tuesday. “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 added that while Kimmel’s show will remain available on Disney-owned streaming platforms, its local stations will focus on news and other market-specific programming.

Sinclair, which owns or operates more than 100 local stations, announced a similar move on Monday. “Beginning Tuesday night, Sinclair will be preempting Jimmy Kimmel Live! across our ABC affiliate stations and replacing it with news programming,” the company said in a statement. “Discussions with ABC are ongoing as we evaluate the show’s potential return.”

Disney has not issued a new public statement regarding the affiliate decisions so far, but previously paused the show for several days, referring to Kimmel’s comments as poorly timed. Jimmy Kimmel Live! has aired on ABC since 2003.

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