"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 the uninitiated, ABC and Disney (its parent company) 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 biggest owners of local television stations in the US. According to Deadline, Sinclair currently owns 39 ABC-affiliated stations across the US, while Nexstar owns 32 ABC affiliates.

On September 22, 2025, the Walt Disney Company announced that it had decided to lift the suspension on Jimmy Kimmel's show following widespread criticism, saying 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."

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.

"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."

However, others admitted to not knowing what Sinclair was.

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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.

Edited by Juhi Marzia