Just five days after “Jimmy Kimmel Live!” was indefinitely suspended, the Walt Disney Company announced the show’s return.
“Last Wednesday, we made the decision to suspend production on the show to avoid further inflaming a tense situation at an emotional moment for our country. It is a decision we made because we felt some of the comments were ill-timed and thus insensitive,” the company said in a statement on Sept. 22.
But not everyone will be able to watch on their local ABC affiliate.
Two media groups — Sinclair and Nexstar — said they would still preempt the show from their airways.
In Austin, Sinclair operates KEYE while Nexstar is currently the operator of KXAN, KBVO and KNVA. The groups operate 39 and 20 ABC affiliate stations, respectively.
Austin’s ABC affiliate, KVUE, is currently operated by Tegna but will be operated by Nexstar once its proposed $6.2 billion merger is approved by the FCC. The merger means Kimmel’s fate on KVUE is unclear.
Regardless, Austinites will still be able to watch Kimmel’s return. Here’s how.
How to watch ‘Jimmy Kimmel Live!’ in Austin, Texas
Even though “Jimmy Kimmel Live!” may not be available to watch on your ABC affiliate channel, there are still ways to stream the late-night talk show.
DirecTV, Fubo, YouTube TV and Hulu+ Live allow you to stream ABC live. The Sept. 23 episode is expected to be available for streaming on Hulu starting Sept. 24.
What time is the Jimmy Kimmel show on tonight?
“Jimmy Kimmel Live!” airs weeknights at 10:35 p.m. CT.
Why was Jimmy Kimmel’s show suspended in the first place?
Jimmy Kimmel’s late-night show was suspended indefinitely by ABC on Sept. 17 following comments the comedian made about Charlie Kirk’s assassination, according to the Associated Press.
“Mr. Kimmel’s comments about the death of Mr. Kirk are offensive and insensitive at a critical time in our national political discourse, and we do not believe they reflect the spectrum of opinions, views, or values of the local communities in which we are located,” said Andrew Alford, President of Nexstar’s broadcasting division.
The decision prompted backlash from the public, with many boycotting Disney by canceling their subscriptions to Disney+ and Hulu.
Sinclair said in a statement last week it would not be returning the show to the air until its leaders are confident that “appropriate steps have been taken to uphold the standards expected of a national broadcast platform.”
“Sinclair also calls upon Mr. Kimmel to issue a direct apology to the Kirk family,” the statement said. “Furthermore, we ask Mr. Kimmel to make a meaningful personal donation to the Kirk Family and Turning Point USA.”
What did Jimmy Kimmel say about Charlie Kirk? Watch the monologue
“We hit some new lows over the weekend with the MAGA gang desperately trying to characterize this kid who murdered Charlie Kirk as anything other than one of them and doing everything they can to score political points from it,” Kimmel said in his Sept. 15 monologue.
Watch the monologue here:
Jimmy Kimmel breaks his silence
Today, the “Jimmy Kimmel Live!” show broke its social media silence with a photo of Kimmel and his sidekick, comedian Guillermo Rodriguez. The collaborative post’s caption read, “We are back full of love.”
On his personal account, Kimmel also broke his silence with a post remembering Norman Lear, a storied television writer and producer who was well-known for his progressive activism.
“Missing this guy today,” Kimmel wrote. Lear died in December 2023.
Social media accounts for both Jimmy Kimmel and the show, “Jimmy Kimmel Live!” had been silent since Sept. 15, when the controversial episode first aired.
Nexstar’s skin in the game
Nexstar Media Group — already the nation’s largest owner of local stations — said last month it had reached an agreement to acquire Tegna Inc. in a $6.2 billion deal that would also put longstanding limits on media consolidation to the test.
The deal is likely a factor in Nexstar’s decision to keep Kimmel off the air, as his comments angered FCC Chairman Brendan Carr. The fate of the merger rests in Carr’s hands.
If approved, the transaction would make Nexstar the operator of four of Austin’s six broadcast stations — KXAN, KBVO, KNVA and KVUE.
KVUE, Austin’s ABC affiliate, would join Nexstar, which now has more than 200 stations in 116 markets nationwide. Tegna owns 64 news stations in 51 markets. The combined company will operate 265 full-power television stations in 44 states and the District of Columbia, reaching 80% of U.S. television households.
The deal would see Nexstar buy its smaller rival for $22 per share.
‘ The preceding article may include information circulated by third parties ’
‘ Some details of this article were extracted from the following source www.yahoo.com ’
