Nearly a week after Disney “indefinitely” suspended Jimmy Kimmel for comments he’d made regarding the killing of conservative commentator Charlie Kirk, Jimmy Kimmel Live! is returning to ABC television tonight. Here’s what you need to know about the late-night talk show host’s return and where you can watch it.
What’s happened?
On Friday, ABC owner the Walt Disney Company said it would indefinitely suspend Jimmy Kimmel Live! after Kimmel made comments four nights earlier on his Monday show that many on the right said were insensitive. Two days after the comments, Brendan Carr, chair of the Federal Communications Commission (FCC), threatened ABC’s affiliate licenses in response to Kimmel’s comments.
The reaction to his comments—which Kimmel was reportedly set to say were “grossly mischaracterized” by those on the right—then led to ABC affiliate station owners Nexstar Media Group and Sinclair saying they would preempt Kimmel’s show going forward.
As the controversy surrounding Kimmel intensified, Disney finally announced it would pull Kimmel off the air.
Disney’s decision to suspend Kimmel led to swift blowback over the weekend from not just those on the left, but from free speech advocates, actors and comedians, unions, and politicians. Calls quickly grew to boycott Disney Plus, as well as Hulu and ESPN, which the company also owns.
Then yesterday, Disney announced that Jimmy Kimmel Live! and its host would return to the air.
“Last Wednesday, we made the decision to suspend production on the show to avoid further inflaming a tense situation at an emotional moment for our country,” the entertainment giant said in a statement on Monday. “It is a decision we made because we felt some of the comments were ill-timed and thus insensitive. 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, while Kimmel may be returning to television, he won’t be appearing on all screens across the nation.
Sinclair says it won’t air Kimmel’s return
Sinclair, which owns the ABC station in Washington, D.C., as well as over three dozen other ABC stations across the country, said in a statement posted to X that it will not be airing Jimmy Kimmel Live! once the show returns.
“Beginning Tuesday night, Sinclair will be preempting Jimmy Kimmel Live! across our ABC affiliate stations and replacing it with news programming,” the company said. “Discussions with ABC are ongoing as we evaluate the show’s potential return.”
As for Nexstar, the company has not issued a public statement on the matter. At this time, it is unclear whether Nexstar ABC affiliates will air the return of Jimmy Kimmel Live! Fast Company has reached out to Nexstar for comment.
But that means that a majority of the country will be able to watch the return of Jimmy Kimmel Live! to late-night television tonight.
How to watch Jimmy Kimmel return
Jimmy Kimmel Live! will return to the air tonight, Tuesday, September 23. The show kicks off at its usual time of 11:35 p.m. ET / 10:35 p.m. CT.
Kimmel’s return is expected to be a highly watched broadcast, and there are several ways for you to watch the show, either live or after its original airing. Here’s how:
On television: Jimmy Kimmel Live! will return to most ABC stations tonight. To watch the show, just tune into your ABC affiliate at the show’s airtime. Reminder that ABC is a broadcast network and free to watch if you have an over-the-air antenna.
On livestreaming services: If you’ve cut the cable cord and don’t have an antenna, ABC is included as part of a bundle in a number of livestreaming services. Those include YouTube TV, Fubo, Sling TV, and Hulu+Live TV. Just a reminder that ABC may not be available in all areas, so check before signing up.
On Hulu: If you prefer to stream the show, you can watch it on demand on Hulu. Shows are typically available the day after they air.
On ABC.com: ABC is expected to air clips from the show, as it normally does, on its website here.
On YouTube: It is also likely ABC will post clips of tonight’s show on the official Jimmy Kimmel Live YouTube channel.
And of course, social media is sure to be flooded with clips of Kimmel’s return once the show airs.
