"So is it going to be a Disney+ special?" - Internet reacts to Sinclair refusing to air ‘Jimmy Kimmel Live!’ when it returns after suspension 

Sinclair Broadcast Group has announced its decision to preempt Jimmy Kimmel's late-night show, Jimmy Kimmel Live!, from its ABC affiliates despite the show's return on September 23, 2025. For those unfamiliar, ABC and its parent company Disney suspended Jimmy Kimmel Live! following Kimmel's comments about conservative activist Charlie Kirk's alleged assassin during his monologue on September 15, 2025.

The suspension, announced on September 17, was supported by Sinclair Broadcast Group and Nexstar Media Group, two of the largest owners of local TV stations in the US. According to Deadline, Sinclair owns 39 ABC-affiliated stations nationwide, while Nexstar owns 32 ABC affiliates.

On September 22, 2025, the Walt Disney Company announced that it would lift the suspension on Jimmy Kimmel's show following widespread criticism, stating in a press release:

"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."

However, Sinclair notified customers that the media conglomerate will continue to preempt the show across its ABC affiliates and replace it with news programming, adding that the company was still in discussion with ABC to "evaluate the show's potential return."

Pop Base

@PopBase

Sinclair, which operates 38 local ABC stations, says they will not air ‘Jimmy Kimmel Live!’ when it returns tomorrow:​“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.”

Netizens took to X to voice their opinions about Sinclair's decision to preempt Kimmel's late-night show, with one user wondering whether it would be broadcast as a Disney+ special.

jack

@livnerys

@PopBase so is it going to be a disney+ special? what the hell

Several netizens expressed their surprise at Sinclair preempting Jimmy Kimmel Live!, calling the move "real censorship" and a "big shake up."

SouthpawTodd

@Southpaw_Tra

@PopBase So this is the real censorship they were talking about Got it

Diva 🦋❤️🦋

@adashola3

@PopBase Wow 😳 that’s a big move… Replacing late-night with news is definitely going to stir reactions.

Dravanta

@dravanta1305

@PopBase That’s a big shake up. Curious to see how this standoff with ABC plays out. 👀

MemeMerica

@MericaMeme19362

@PopBase That would be a huge move if true — pulling Jimmy Kimmel Live! from dozens of ABC affiliates would massively shrink its reach. It also signals real tension between ABC and one of its biggest station groups.

However, others admitted to not knowing what Sinclair was.

໊

@buffys

@PopBase we can’t even boycott sinclair because nobody knows wtf that is.

Laughing on this bird ap .. B3ts¥😆😈😇🤷🏻‍♀️♏️🧩

@Bedollz

@PopBase WTH is even Sinclair anyway? We don’t know that b***h.

Nevada

@thecheeries

@PopBase Dammit. Does anyone know anything about who the f**k or whatever the f**k Sinclair is???

Longshankers

@Long_shankers

@PopBase At least people are FINALLY finding out about Sinclair. You will be suprised at just how monopolised media is.

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Sinclair urged Jimmy Kimmel to make a "meaningful personal donation" to Charlie Kirk's family

Late-night talk show anchor Jimmy Kimmel faced controversy after his remarks about Tyler Robinson, Charlie Kirk's alleged assassin, during an episode of his show last week. In his monologue on September 15, Kimmel accused MAGA of falsely characterizing Robinson's political stance to gain "political points," saying:

“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. In between the finger-pointing, there was grieving.

"On Friday, the White House flew the flags at half staff, which got some criticism, but on a human level, you can see how hard the president is taking this."

Kimmel continued to mock Trump for his response to a journalist asking him how he was following Kirk's death. Kimmel played a clip of the moment, where the president had responded, “I think very good," to the question, and had continued to talk about the ballroom construction at the White House. In the episode, Kimmel likened Trump's response to a child mourning their goldfish.

Two days after the episode aired, media conglomerates Nexstar and Sinclair announced their decision to preempt Jimmy Kimmel Live! from their ABC affiliates, following which ABC announced the show's indefinite suspension.

In a press release at the time, Sinclair called upon Kimmel to apologize to Kirk's family for his comments and urged him to make a "meaningful personal donation to the Kirk Family and Turning Point USA."

Additionally, Jason Smith, Sinclair's Vice Chairman, had described Jimmy Kimmel's comments as "inappropriate and deeply insensitive," writing:

“Mr. Kimmel’s remarks were inappropriate and deeply insensitive at a critical moment for our country. We believe broadcasters have a responsibility to educate and elevate respectful, constructive dialogue in our communities. We appreciate FCC Chairman Carr’s remarks today and this incident highlights the critical need for the FCC to take immediate regulatory action to address control held over local broadcasters by the big national networks.”

The company further stated that the show will not air on its ABC affiliates till it is "confident that appropriate steps have been taken to uphold the standards expected of a national broadcast platform."

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Jimmy Kimmel Live! will return on September 23, 2025. According to The New York Post, sources told the publication that Kimmel will address the backlash in his monologue, but did not plan to apologize for his comments.