Nexstar is joining Sinclair Broadcast Group in continuing to boycott Jimmy Kimmel Live! when the late-night host returns to television Tuesday after a brief suspension.
Nexstar revealed its decision on Tuesday morning, one day after Sinclair said it would keep preempting Kimmel, whose long-running program was pulled off the air last week following his comments on the assassination of conservative activist Charlie Kirk.
“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,” Nexstar said. “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. In the meantime, we note that Jimmy Kimmel Live! will be available nationwide on multiple Disney-owned streaming products, while our stations will focus on continuing to produce local news and other programming relevant to their respective markets.”
Between the two major broadcasting entities, a large portion of the country will not be airing Kimmel’s show live tonight, though it will be available online everywhere once its finished.
An indefinite ban is ended
ABC announced last Wednesday that it would be suspending Kimmel indefinitely for his comments about Kirk, made on Sept. 15.
In his monologue that night, Kimmel blamed the “MAGA gang” for trying to “score political points” by “”desperately trying to characterize this kid who murdered Charlie Kirk as anything other than one of them.”
ABC pulled Kimmel from the air, which resulted in significant backlash and led to its announcement Monday that the 57-year-old entertainer would be back on the air tonight.
“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,” the Walt Disney Company, which owns ABC, said in a statement. “It is a decision we made because we felt some of the comments were ill-timed and thus insensitive. We have spent the last days having thoughtful conversations with Jimmy, and after those conversations, we reached the decision to return the show on Tuesday.”
