Sinclair, Nexstar Will Preempt Jimmy Kimmel Return on Stations They Own

Since Disney announced late-night host Jimmy Kimmel's Tuesday return after yanking him off the air last week, Nexstar Media Group and Sinclair Broadcast Group, which collectively control about a quarter of local ABC affiliates nationwide, have said they will preempt his show—a move seen by critics as deferential to the Trump administration and related to their business interests.

Shortly after Federal Communications Commission Chair Brendan Carr suggested during a podcast interview that the FCC may retaliate against Disney-owned ABC for Kimmel's remarks about US President Donald Trump and the recent assassination of right-wing activist Charlie Kirk, the host was suspended "indefinitely."

The public, free speech advocates, other entertainers, and elected officials have sounded the alarm about both Carr's threat—which the FCC chair now claims is just "projection and distortion" by critics—and the host's suspension. Faced with a growing boycott movement, Disney revealed Monday that he would be back on air the following night.

Sinclair—which previously praised Carr's comments and argued that Kimmel's suspension was "not enough"—responded by announcing that it "will be preempting 'Jimmy Kimmel Live!' across our ABC affiliate stations and replacing it with news programming," and "discussions with ABC are ongoing as we evaluate the show's potential return."

Before Kimmel was suspended, Nexstar had planned to preempt his show due to his Kirk commentary. The company said Tuesday that "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," Nexstar added.

Critics suggested the preemption decisions may be tied to the companies' current business dealings. David Sirota, founder of The Lever, pointed out on social media Monday that "Sinclair is currently lobbying the Trump FCC to relax local media ownership rules."

Sirota linked to his outlet's reporting from last month. As his colleague Freddy Brewster detailed:

The Nexstar Media Group, which operates more than 200 local television stations in 116 markets across the country, and the Sinclair Broadcast Group, a conservative news company that operates 185 stations in 85 markets nationwide, filed comment letters in April with the Federal Communications Commission (FCC) asking the agency to move forward with its proposal to gut rules barring companies from owning more than two major news channels in one market area or reaching more than 39% of the general public.

The ownership caps were designed to "promote localism and competition by restricting the number of media outlets that a single entity may own or control within a geographic market," according to a 2021 congressional analysis. But in their comment letters, the broadcast companies argue they need to purchase more stations to compete with technology companies like Google, Meta, and Amazon that have come to dominate viewership and ad revenue.

Sen. Elizabeth Warren (D-Mass.) similarly said on social media Tuesday that "Nexstar, the largest TV broadcaster, needs Donald Trump's approval for a $6 billion deal. If approved, Nexstar would control TV stations reaching 80% of households—violating the cap set by Congress to protect against monopolies. This censorship of Kimmel reeks of corruption."

While Kimmel's imminent return has been celebrated as a victory for free speech and public pressure, advocates have also continued to highlight the ongoing threats from Trump, his allies, and corporate giants.

"ABC made the right call to return Jimmy Kimmel to air," ACLU executive director Anthony Romero said in a Monday statement. "It should never have suspended him to begin with, and resisted the government’s desire to control what people say. Hopefully, other media outlets will also find their spines and resist the Trump administration's efforts to cudgel them into obeisance."

Before Disney's announcement on Monday, "more than 475 artists came together to speak up with one voice, and more than 40,000 people added their names in solidarity in just a few hours," he noted. "We can rest assured this won't be the administration's last attempt to pressure private companies into punishing employees for speech it does not like. Let this be a lesson to companies who consider caving: We the people are watching, and we'll remember who stood strong in defense of free expression, and who followed the federal government's bidding."

Meanwhile, Campaign for Accountability on Tuesday filed a bar complaint asking the District of Columbia Office of Disciplinary Counsel and the Maryland Attorney Grievance Commission to investigate Carr. The nonprofit watchdog group's executive director, Michelle Kuppersmith, said that his "actions undermine public trust in not only the agency he leads, but in government neutrality across the board," and called for thorough probes and "appropriate disciplinary measures."