Kimmel put on indefinite hold as ABC grapples with affiliate backlash:
Jimmy Kimmel’s late-night television career has come to an abrupt halt as ABC announced Wednesday that “Jimmy Kimmel Live!” will be “preempted indefinitely” following a massive affiliate rebellion over his inflammatory comments about Charlie Kirk’s assassination.
The stunning decision came after Nexstar Media Group, which owns over 200 ABC affiliate stations across the country, announced it would drop Kimmel’s show from all its markets beginning immediately. The media giant represents the largest collection of ABC affiliates in the nation, making their boycott financially devastating for both ABC and Disney.
“Nexstar strongly objects to recent comments made by Mr. Kimmel concerning the killing of Charlie Kirk and will replace the show with other programming in its ABC-affiliated markets,” the company stated in their announcement.
I want to thank Nexstar for doing the right thing.
— Brendan Carr (@BrendanCarrFCC) September 17, 2025
Local broadcasters have an obligation to serve the public interest. While this may be an unprecedented decision, it is important for broadcasters to push back on Disney programming that they determine falls short of community… https://t.co/Px5boYbqNR
The controversy erupted following Kimmel’s Monday night monologue, where he made politically charged remarks about Kirk’s assassination. “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 declared during his show.
The comments immediately sparked outrage across conservative media and social platforms, with critics arguing that Kimmel was politicizing a tragic assassination and making false claims about the shooter’s political affiliations. Many pointed out that investigations into Tyler Robinson, the 22-year-old suspect, had not established clear political motivations at the time of Kimmel’s remarks with many indications pointing his affiliation in the direction of far left extremism.
Local ABC affiliates began receiving complaints from viewers and advertisers within hours of the broadcast. The backlash intensified throughout the week, with multiple affiliate stations expressing concerns about continuing to air content that many in their communities found offensive and inappropriate.
For ABC and parent company Disney, the Nexstar revolt represented an existential crisis. Losing 200 affiliate stations would have decimated the show’s reach and advertising revenue, making the program commercially unviable. Rather than negotiate or attempt damage control, the network made the swift decision to pull the plug entirely.
The move represents a rare instance of affiliate stations successfully forcing a network’s hand on programming decisions. Typically, local stations have limited power to influence network content, but Nexstar’s size and market dominance gave them unprecedented leverage.
Industry observers note this marks a significant moment in the ongoing cultural debates around appropriate commentary following political violence.
The cancellation also highlights the growing power of local television affiliates in an era where networks increasingly depend on their local partners for distribution and revenue. As streaming services fragment the television landscape, traditional broadcasters have become more sensitive to local market concerns.
ABC has not announced what programming will replace Kimmel’s time slot, though sources suggest the network is exploring both syndicated content and expanded news programming. Representatives for Kimmel declined to comment on the cancellation.
