What will Sinclair do when Jimmy Kimmel Live returns to ABC on Tuesday? Broadcasting company issues statement after Disney's decision

The Walt Disney Co. announced on Monday that after a week-long suspension, Jimmy Kimmel Live! would return to air. The network stated that the production was halted because they felt that some of Jimmy Kimmel's remarks were "ill-timed" and "insensitive," which could worsen the "tense" and "emotional" situation.

For the unversed, Jimmy Kimmel said on his September 15, 2025, monologue that Republicans were seemingly using Kirk's death to "score political points."

Then, Kimmel added Trump's interview clips and made fun of the way he talked about Kirk's assassination.

The network had a long discussion with the late-night host and decided to continue the famous show from Tuesday onwards.

Sinclair Broadcasting Group, the largest owner of ABC affiliate stations in the country, told the press that it would not telecast Kimmel's show on its stations.

Instead, the news would be aired. The group also noted that discussions with ABC are ongoing, and the late-night show's return is dependent on the discussions.

"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," Sinclair Broadcasting Group stated.

Disney announces ‘Jimmy Kimmel Live!’ will return on Tuesday:

“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… pic.twitter.com/llM6BDaRa0

— Pop Base (@PopBase) September 22, 2025

Jimmy Kimmel received massive support from celebrities

In the past week, ABC and its parent company, The Walt Disney Co., have faced immense backlash for suspending Kimmel's show.

After numerous netizens announced on social media that they had cancelled their Disney subscription, reports emerged that over 400 celebrities had signed a letter from the American Civil Liberties Union.

The open letter criticized Disney and ABC, stating that the government was seemingly threatening freedom of speech and that political leaders were reportedly pressuring artists, journalists, and companies to censor their words.

Meryl Streep, Jennifer Aniston, Natalie Portman, Robert De Niro, Selena Gomez, Tom Hanks, Kerry Washington, Olivia Rodrigo, Ben Stiller, Jamie Lee Curtis, Jason Bateman, Julia Louis-Dreyfus, Maggie Gyllenhaal, Michael Keaton, Regina King, Diego Luna, Lin-Manuel Miranda, Maya Rudolph, Jane Fonda, and Martin Short, among others, have signed the letter.

Pedro Pascal, who is starring in the upcoming Disney films The Mandalorian and Grogu, and Avengers: Doomsday, supported Jimmy Kimmel by uploading a picture with him on his Instagram.

Former Disney star Olivia Rodrigo skipped her performance at the LA premiere of Lilith Fair: Building a Mystery over solidarity with Kimmel's suspension. According to the Tribune's September 22, 2025, report, she was the surprise headliner at the premiere.

Rodrigo also gave a brief interview in the documentary. Sarah McLachlan, the founder of Lilith Fair Festival, announced that the musical guests, Jewel, Olivia Rodrigo, Mya, and herself had decided not to perform to support "free speech."

ABC News Studios, which distributed the documentary, also cancelled the red carpet walk.

"I know you're expecting a performance tonight, and I'm so grateful to all of you for coming. And I apologize if this is disappointing, but we have collectively decided not to perform but instead to stand in solidarity in support of free speech," she stated.

In other news, President Donald Trump stated at Charlie Kirk's memorial on Sunday that Jimmy Kimmel had "no talent" and "no ratings."

The President has heavily bashed late-night hosts for speaking negatively about him. Jimmy Kimmel Live! will return on air on Tuesday. Stay tuned for more updates.