Jimmy Kimmel Live returns to ABC after talks with Disney

Jimmy Kimmel returns to ABC on Tuesday night, September 23, 2025, after Disney reversed last week’s “indefinite” pause on Jimmy Kimmel Live!. Jimmy Kimmel is back because Disney says the six-day timeout achieved its aim, cooling tensions, after Jimmy Kimmel’s on-air remarks about the killing of activist Charlie Kirk set off station pushback and a free-speech fight. Jimmy Kimmel and Disney held what the company called “thoughtful conversations,” leading to a Tuesday reinstatement in the show’s usual late-night slot.

Most viewers can find Jimmy Kimmel Live! on ABC, where it has been broadcast since its inception.

However, some local markets will see alternatives as negotiations continue. Jimmy Kimmel is expected to address the controversy on air. The about-face follows days of political heat, affiliate preemptions, union criticism, and industry voices urging a reset.

For audiences, the practical takeaway is simple: Jimmy Kimmel returns on ABC tonight, even as a few station groups keep temporary preemptions in place.

When does Jimmy Kimmel Live! return, and where will it air?

Jimmy Kimmel Live! returns Tuesday, September 23, 2025, in its standard late-night slot on the ABC network. The program’s network feed resumes nationwide, but distribution will not be perfectly uniform on night one.

Sinclair, the largest owner of ABC affiliates, says it will continue to preempt the show while talks with the network continue. Nexstar stations preempted last week.

For most markets, nothing changes: the show airs as normal on ABC. In some Sinclair markets, replacement news or entertainment programming will fill the slot pending a resolution.

As per the Deadline report dated September 22, 2025, Sinclair stated,

“Beginning Tuesday night, Sinclair will be preempting Jimmy Kimmel Live! across our ABC affiliate stations and replacing it with news programming. Discussions with ABC are ongoing as we evaluate the show’s potential return.”

Context: Sinclair says discussions with ABC are active.

As per the Nexstar Media Group press release dated September 17, 2025, Andrew Alford, President of Nexstar’s broadcasting division, stated,

“Continuing to give Mr. Kimmel a broadcast platform in the communities we serve is simply not in the public interest at the current time, and we have made the difficult decision to preempt his show in an effort to let cooler heads prevail as we move toward the resumption of respectful, constructive dialogue.”

Context: That policy sparked a domino effect in several markets before Disney’s reinstatement decision.

Why ABC reversed course: Inside Disney’s “thoughtful conversations”

Disney restored the show following days of discussions with Jimmy Kimmel, saying the prior suspension aimed “to avoid further inflaming a tense situation” and acknowledging certain comments were “ill-timed and thus insensitive.” 

As per the ABC News report dated September 23, 2025, Disney stated,

"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. It is a decision we made because we felt some of the comments were ill-timed and thus insensitive."

The statement further read,

"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."

Political pressure and backlash formed the backdrop. FCC Chair Brendan Carr’s public posture made headlines, while another commissioner defended the reversal.

As per the Reuters report dated September 23, 2025, FCC Commissioner Anna Gomez, the only democrat in the panel, praised the move, stating,

“its courage in the face of clear government intimidation.”

Fellow late-night hosts amplified the push to bring Jimmy Kimmel back. As per the Instagram clip posted on the official colbertshow page dated September 23, 2025, Stephen Colbert said,

“Well, just a few hours before we taped this broadcast, we got word that our long national late-nightmare is over, because Disney announced that Jimmy Kimmel Live will return to air on ABC tomorrow, Tuesday night. Come on! Wonderful news for my dear friend Jimmy and his amazing staff.”

As per the People report dated September 23, 2025, Jon Stewart joked,

“I'll tell you, Jimmy Kimmel's flying high like Advil today.”

Together, those reactions captured an industry consensus that the pause had overshot, even as some stations kept preemptions.

Quick six-day timeline: from “indefinite” suspension to Tuesday return

September 17 (Wednesday): ABC says Jimmy Kimmel Live is “pre-empted indefinitely.” Nexstar announces it will pull the program across its ABC affiliates.

September 18-21 (Thursday-Sunday): Reaction builds: affiliates fill the slot with alternates. Protests and free-speech arguments spread. Unions and public figures urge reinstatement.

September 22 (Monday): Disney announces Jimmy Kimmel Live! returns Tuesday after “thoughtful conversations”. Sinclair says it will still preempt while talks continue.

September 23 (Tuesday): Return night on ABC. Jimmy Kimmel is expected to address the controversy in his monologue, even as some Sinclair markets continue to air replacements.

Tonight (Tuesday, Sept 23, 2025), Jimmy Kimmel Live airs at 11:35 p.m. ET/PT (tape-delayed in PT) and 10:35 p.m. CT/MT on ABC.

Viewers can watch live on their local ABC channel, ABC.com/the, the ABC app (with TV provider login), or live-TV streamers that carry ABC (Hulu + Live TV, YouTube TV, Fubo.

Stay tuned for more updates.