Jimmy Kimmel has won another round in his preemption battle, with Sinclair agreeing to resume airing his show Jimmy Kimmel Live! on its ABC affiliates.
Sinclair announced that the late night show will return to its stations on Friday, September 26, following “thoughtful feedback from viewers, advertisers and community leaders representing a wide range of perspectives” and “constructive discussions with ABC.”
“Our objective throughout this process has been to ensure that programming remains accurate and engaging for the widest possible audience,” Sinclair said in a statement on Friday. “We take seriously our responsibility as local broadcasters to provide programming that serves the interests of our communities, while also honoring our obligations to air national network programming.”
As the country’s largest ABC affiliate group, the reinstatement of Kimmel, 57, on Sinclair affiliates will affect 40 ABC stations in cities such as Washington, D.C., Seattle, Birmingham, Charleston, Portland, St. Louis and Tulsa.
Sinclair and Nexstar prompted Kimmel’s show to be pulled from the air by ABC on September 17 after the companies threatened to preempt the program due to the host’s comments about the death of conservative commentator Charlie Kirk. Less than one week later, ABC announced its decision to resume production on Jimmy Kimmel Live! following “thoughtful conversations with Jimmy.”
Kimmel’s show returned to ABC on Tuesday, September 23, to high ratings. However, Sinclair and Nexstar opted to preempt the broadcast on their affiliate stations.
“Beginning Tuesday night, Sinclair will be preempting Jimmy Kimmel Live! across our ABC affiliate stations and replacing it with news programming,” a Monday, September 22, X post from the company read. “Discussions with ABC are ongoing as we evaluate the show’s potential return.”
Despite Sinclair’s Friday reversal of its preemption decision, Nexstar has yet to announce plans to return Jimmy Kimmel Live! to the air on its ABC affiliates.
This story was originally reported by Parade on Sep 26, 2025, where it first appeared in the News section. Add Parade as a Preferred Source by clicking here.
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