“Jimmy Kimmel Live!” is set to return to the airwaves Friday evening on Nexstar Media Group’s 23 ABC affiliate stations and nine other partner stations.
“We have had discussions with executives at The Walt Disney Company and appreciate their constructive approach to addressing our concerns,” the company said in a statement on Friday. “As a local broadcaster, Nexstar remains committed to protecting the First Amendment while producing and airing local and national news that is fact-based and unbiased and, above all, broadcasting content that is in the best interest of the communities we serve.”
The move follows a similar deal struck between Disney/ABC and Sinclair Broadcasting on Friday. Disney declined to comment.
Kimmel was indefinitely pulled from Sinclair and Nexstar stations last week over comments he made about Charlie Kirk’s alleged assassin.
Following Nexstar and Sinclair, ABC pulled Kimmel from its own airwaves in order to “avoid further inflaming a tense situation at an emotional moment for our country,” adding that some of his comments were “ill-timed and thus insensitive.” That move would trigger protests from writers and union members, calls to cancel Disney+, Hulu and ESPN+ subscriptions and an open letter from the American Civil Liberties Union signed by over 400 artists condemning the suspension.
But after “thoughtful conversations” with Kimmel, a decision was reached for “Jimmy Kimmel Live!” to return on Tuesday. However, Sinclair and Nexstar both continued to preempt the show as discussions with ABC were ongoing.
An insider familiar with the discussions told TheWrap that no editorial or content concessions were made between Nexstar and Disney.
The standoff came as Nexstar has entered into a $6.2 billion merger with rival Tegna that is pending before the Federal Communications Commission, whose chairman Brendan Carr has been a vocal critic of Kimmel and ABC.
If approved, the Nexstar-Tegna merger would create a combined entity with a portfolio of stations representing 80% of U.S. households. It would have a total of 265 television stations in 44 states and the District of Columbia, adding Big-4 affiliate stations in markets including Phoenix, Atlanta, Toledo and Portland, Maine. The combined company would also have stations in nine of the top 10 markets and in 41 of the top 50.
A new MoveOn Civic Action petition, which has over 20,000 signatures, is urging the FCC to reject the merger.
“This deal has corporate corruption and government overreach written all over it— and everyday Americans are going to pay the price,” the petition states. “We have to expose this shady business deal before Nexstar and other major companies control our media and become proxy propaganda outlets for Trump and his cronies. ABC’s decision to pull Kimmel off the air was a direct result of corporate corruption. Tell the FCC NOT to approve this merger.”
Nexstar has denied that the FCC played any role in its decision to pull Kimmel, arguing that it was made “unilaterally by the senior executive team” and that it had “no communication” with any government agency prior to making the decision.
“We stand apart from cable television, monolithic streaming services and national networks in our commitment – and obligation – to be stewards of the public airwaves and to protect and reflect the specific sensibilities of our communities,” Nexstar added in Friday’s statement. “To be clear, our commitment to those principles has guided our decisions throughout this process, independent of any external influence from government agencies or individuals.”
