The Real Reason Jimmy Kimmel Live! Still Won’t Air on a Major Network
Disney is reviving Jimmy Kimmel Live! on September 23, 2025, but not everyone will see it—Sinclair-owned ABC stations plan to keep preempting the late-night show, leaving key markets in the dark.
Jimmy Kimmel Live! is coming back to ABC on Tuesday, September 23, 2025. Mostly. The catch: a big chunk of ABC affiliates are sitting this one out, so depending on where you live, you still might not see it.
ABC says it is back. Some affiliates say... not yet.
On Monday, Disney (ABC's parent company) said the show will resume after a one-week pause. A few hours later, Sinclair Broadcast Group — which controls 39 ABC-affiliated stations, including in Washington, D.C. — announced it will keep preempting the show and run news instead while talks continue with ABC.
'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.'
That statement went out on Sinclair's official X account on September 22, 2025. So, yes, this is one of those inside-baseball affiliate issues where a national show can be greenlit by the network and still vanish locally.
Why Kimmel got pulled in the first place
This all started with Kimmel's September 15 monologue, when he made controversial remarks about the death of right-wing activist Charlie Kirk and suggested the shooter was part of the 'MAGA gang.' The blowback was immediate, and it reached the White House — President Donald Trump publicly criticized the comments.
Two days later, on September 17, Disney yanked the show. The company told USA TODAY that it paused production to avoid inflaming a tense moment and because some comments were seen as ill-timed and insensitive. After several days of conversations with Kimmel, Disney decided to put the show back on the schedule for Tuesday.
Can you watch it where you live?
If your local ABC station is owned or operated by Sinclair, you might not see Kimmel on Tuesday night — those stations plan to air news programming in that slot. Sinclair says it is still talking with ABC and will evaluate the show's potential return, so this could change, but for now, the preemption stands.
- Sept 15: Kimmel makes the comments during his monologue about Charlie Kirk's death.
- Sept 17: Disney pulls Jimmy Kimmel Live! off the air.
- Sept 22 (Mon): Disney says the show returns Tuesday; hours later, Sinclair says its 39 ABC affiliates (including Washington, D.C.) will keep preempting and run news instead.
- Sept 23 (Tue): Jimmy Kimmel Live! returns on ABC nationally, except where Sinclair-affiliated ABC stations block it.