Nexstar Media Group, the largest provider of local news in the country, said Tuesday its affiliate stations will not carry comedian Jimmy Kimmel’s late night show on ABC ahead of the host’s highly anticipated return to the airwaves this week.
Kimmel was suspended by ABC last week for comments during an opening monologue, in which he accused conservatives of trying to score “political points” off the assassination of activist Charlie Kirk and made fun of President Trump, who he said was mourning Kirk’s death “like a four-year-old mourns a goldfish.”
Disney, ABC’s parent company, announced Monday it was reinstating Kimmel, calling his comments “ill-timed and insensitive,” and saying it took him off the air to “avoid further inflaming a tense situation at an emotional moment for the country.”
Nexstar, which had announced its ABC affiliates would drop Kimmel’s show just hours before he was suspended by ABC, said Tuesday the company “stand[s] by that decision pending assurance that all parties are committed to fostering an environment of respectful, constructive dialogue in the markets we serve.”
Disney did not indicate Monday if Kimmel planned to apologize for his remarks or say how he would address the controversy his comments had caused.
Nexstar noted Tuesday 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.”
The announcement came just hours after Sinclair, another major provider of local news, said it would also pre-empt Kimmel’s show on Tuesday.
Nexstar, which owns The Hill, recently announced plans to acquire rival company Tegna as part of a massive deal that will require FCC approval. The company acted after FCC Chair Brandon Carr suggested on a podcast last week that “licensed broadcasters” needed to push back at ABC over Kimmel’s remarks about Kirk.
Kimmel’s suspension last week sparked outrage from Congressional Democrats, First Amendment advocacy groups and his fellow late night hosts, several of which spoke out in support of the comedian who they argued was being punished for speaking against the president’s administration.
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