Kimmel Reinstated; Nexstar, Sinclair Continue Preempts

ABC/Disney reinstated Jimmy Kimmel Live! after briefly suspending the show over Kimmel’s remarks about the Sept. 10 shooting death of conservative activist Charlie Kirk, which drew sharp conservative criticism, a warning from FCC Chair Brendan Carr and criticism from former President Trump. Disney said the reversal followed “thoughtful conversations” and internal pressure tied to business concerns of CEO Bob Iger, while major affiliates Nexstar and Sinclair said they will continue to preempt the program on many ABC stations, leaving roughly a quarter of U.S. households without the episode. Vermont Sen. Bernie Sanders urged Nexstar to reinstate the show, calling the blackout censorship and flagging Nexstar’s pending Tegna merger; Nexstar said it was having productive talks with Disney and Sinclair referred inquiries to earlier statements. Kimmel opened the reinstated episode at the El Capitan Theatre with a monologue defending free speech — saying he never intended to make light of the killing — and the episode featured guest Glen Powell and musical guest Sarah McLachlan. The airing drew about 6–6.3 million TV viewers and the monologue has neared 20 million YouTube views, with subsequent episodes bringing millions more online, though social‑media backlash and renewed criticism have continued. A group of Disney shareholders led by the American Federation of Teachers and Reporters Without Borders has demanded internal records to probe whether executives breached fiduciary duties and pointed to a related temporary stock drop.