Jimmy Kimmel Live ! was removed from television after making comments about the shooting of conservative activist Charlie Kirk that were made last week. Following widespread criticism and allegations of government censorship, including from a number of Hollywood stars, the host, 57, reinstated his show on Monday.
Jimmy Kimmel Live has been turned down by a major ABC affiliate! despite Disney and other channels’ return.
The local stations that pay to air ABC’s Jimmy Kimmel Live! are paying Sinclair Inc. to uphold its commitment to the program’s last week. The late-night program will continue to air tonight on other ABC affiliates after ABC had “thoughtful conversations” with Jimmy in the past few days.
Sinclair Inc. has confirmed that it will air its own news programming tonight. “Sinclair will be prepping Jimmy Kimmel Live starting Tuesday night,” according to a statement. replacing news programming with programming across our ABC affiliates. As we evaluate the show’s potential return, discussions with ABC continue. Jimmy Kimmel Live!, a staple on US television since 2003, and Sinclair Inc. continue to speak in conversation.
According to reports, Jimmy Kimmel will make another appearance on ABC today for the benefit of his staff.
Following polarizing remarks about how Charlie Kirk’s assassination was handled on Monday and Tuesday’s shows, the veteran broadcaster is said to be furious with the network. Jimmy Kimmel Live was confirmed, however, by ABC and Disney last night! will return today following “thoughtful conversations with Jimmy”
The 57-year-old host, however, is understood to still intend to leave ABC when his contract expires in May and has only agreed to do so to support staff on the late-night talk show, which has been a staple on ABC since 2003. If Jimmy doesn’t pursue options with ABC after his deal is done, their futures are uncertain.
According to an insider, “He is coming back for everyone who works for him and out of respect for them,” he wanted his crew to not miss any pay or additional work than they already have missed.
Jimmy Kimmel’s real reason for leaving ABC despite his hostility with the station
Jimmy Kimmel, the late-night talk show host, will return tonight after his dramatic departure from the air due to his comments regarding Charlie Kirk’s tragic death.
After being informed that he had received the green light to return, the 57-year-old host took to Instagram to post a tribute that many fans thought was a subtle response to the controversy surrounding his show.
Kimmel, who passed away in December of this year at the age of 101, shared a photo of himself with TV producer Norman Lear, who had just passed away. Lear was a proponent of the First Amendment and free speech, best known for producing groundbreaking sitcoms like All in the Family and The Jeffersons. During his time in the White House from 1969 to 1974, he also appeared on late president Richard Nixon’s “evils list.”
The “Jimmy Kimmel Live” guests on Tuesday night! will play Glen Powell in front of the stage alongside Sarah McLachlan in the musical.
Jimmy Kimmel Live staff members! are alleged to be over moon since they have received permission to resume their employment.
A staff member declared, “Relief and joy across the board,” and one employee expressed her happiness to a publication. Both of my coworkers and I are thrilled. I’m looking forward to tomorrow’s monologue.
Jimmy hasn’t addressed the suspension, but he did break a few hours before turning to the TVs to break social media silence.
He posted a message saying, “Missing this guy today,” while he appeared to ignore his suspension. The comments included a photo of Norman Lear, a TV producer who passed away in December of this year.
Following a six-day suspension, ABC announced on Monday that it would resume The Jimmy Kimmel Show.
It stated in a statement to the media that “we have had thoughtful conversations with Jimmy over the past few days, and we made the decision to return the show on Tuesday.”
ABC’s decision to axe Jimmy Kimmel Live! big names like Meryl Streep, Robert De Niro, Ben Affleck, and Tom Hanks had been critical of the film’s schedules, which included widespread criticism.
The suspension was also slammed by a letter signed by more than 400 Hollywood figures, including British actors Florence Pugh and Alan Cumming.
The issue was “precisely the kind of government coercion that the First Amendment was intended to prevent,” according to former president Barack Obama.
The decision to halt Jimmy Kimmel Live! was also made in a statement from the Screen Actors Guild-American Federation of Television and Radio Artists (SAG-Aftra). is the kind of repression and repression that threatens everyone’s freedoms.
Kimmel had stated in an address to the audience that the “Maga gang are desperately trying to characterize this kid who murdered Charlie Kirk as anything other than one of them” during his performance last week.
Kirk, a well-known US political commentator and ally of the president, was shot dead last week at an Utah Valley University event.
As a result of diplomatic gatherings on the sidelines of the UN General Assembly (UNGA), Tehran won’t directly negotiate with the United States over Iran’s nuclear program. Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei described discussions with the US as “a sheer dead end.”
Following Minister of Foreign Affairs Abbas Araghchi’s meeting with diplomats from Germany, France, and the United Kingdom (known as the E3) as well as European Union foreign policy chief Kaja Kallas over the reimposition of sanctions, which is scheduled to take place in just days, the supreme leader made the remarks on Iranian state television on Tuesday.
Negotiating with the US again is a key issue for them. US President Donald Trump vowed to “never possess a nuclear weapon” in a speech at the UNGA, referring to Tehran as the “world’s top sponsor of terror.”
In his recorded address, Khamenei stated that “the US has already announced the results of the discussions.” The end of nuclear activities and enrichment is the result. There is no negotiation here. It is a diktat, or imposition.
The UN Security Council (UNSC) rejected a resolution to impose sanctions on Iran, which came a day later.
Tehran has been accused of breaking its nuclear commitments by, among others, building up uranium stocks that are more than 40 times that are permitted by a 2015 nuclear deal, which Trump unilaterally withdrew from during his first term.
Iran and the world’s leaders, including the US, signed the Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action (JCPOA), which put an end to Iranian nuclear ambitions.
Trump had reimposed sanctions on Iran in 2018 as part of his so-called “maximum pressure” policy, though. Despite initially criticizing them, President Joe Biden’s administration continued with his policies on Iran.
If Iran resumes direct negotiations with the US over its nuclear program, allows UN nuclear inspectors to visit its nuclear sites, and accounts for the UN’s nuclear watchdog’s claim that it has access to more than 400 kg (880 pounds) of highly enriched uranium, European nations have indicated they would be willing to extend the deadline on sanctions.
According to James Bays of Al Jazeera, the UNGA’s Tuesday meeting “didn’t go particularly well,” according to German Foreign Affairs Minister Johann Wadephul, it “didn’t go particularly well.”
According to EU foreign policy chief Kallas, Iran must “some real action” from the European negotiating team in order to avoid sanctions.
There is a chance in diplomacy. Let’s see, the deadlines are approaching. She added that Iranian involvement is also needed.
Iran has repeatedly disputed its nuclear weapons’ right to pursue it peacefully.
Tehran’s nuclear doctrine was reiterated in Khamenei’s speech on Tuesday, according to Al Jazeera’s Tohid Assadi, who was based in Tehran. Iran does not want nuclear weapons, but it will not rely on international pressure, Assadi said.
Israel launched a 12-day war against Iran in June, with Israeli and US forces striking a number of nuclear facilities, raising tensions. The UN nuclear watchdog board declared that Iran was breaking international nuclear safeguards the day after the Israeli-US bombing.
Iran’s nuclear program received a significant economic blow that Tehran claimed was “politically biased” when the UNSC voted last week not to permanently lift sanctions on the country.
The E3’s late August decision to reinstate sanctions unless Tehran met their demands was followed by that vote.
Iran rebuffed the UNSC vote, claiming that restarting its cooperation with the UN watchdog would “effectively suspend” the nation’s cooperation with the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA).
Iranian lawmakers demanded on Monday that the nation begin building nuclear weapons because they fear a new round of sanctions could lead to a new conflict with Israel.
The sanctions will “snap back” on Saturday night if no agreement is reached this week. In addition, it would, among other things, freeze Iranian assets abroad, halt arms sales to Tehran, and penalize any expansion of Iran’s ballistic missile program.
However, there may still be hope. In case the two countries come to terms and avoid resuming sanctions, IAEA chief Rafael Grossi announced on Tuesday that a team of inspectors was headed to Iran.
Jimmy Kimmel Live! will return to the airwaves after Disney lifted its indefinite suspension of the US late-night show, but two of the largest affiliate owners – Sinclair Broadcasting Group and Nexstar Media Group – will not air the long-running programme.
Disney owns the broadcaster ABC, home of Jimmy Kimmel Live!. On Monday evening, Disney announced that the show would return following discussions with Kimmel’s team and network representatives. However, two of the major affiliate operators have not reversed course.
list of 4 itemsend of list
Keeping the show off those affiliate TV stations significantly cuts into Kimmel’s reach. Nexstar and Sinclair together own and operate 70 of the 250 ABC stations across the United States, putting them at odds with the network.
ABC pulled Jimmy Kimmel’s show after the comedian made remarks about the killing of conservative figure Charlie Kirk. The suspension came just hours after Federal Communications Commission (FCC) Chair Brendan Carr warned that stations carrying the show could face fines, or even lose their broadcast licences, urging them to “step up”.
Carr’s comments drew pushback across the political spectrum, including from US President Donald Trump’s allies. Texas Senator Ted Cruz called Carr’s remarks “dangerous as hell”, and Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell said Cruz “got it right”.
Nexstar owns 23 ABC affiliates and is currently pursuing a $6.2bn merger with competitor Tegna, a deal requiring FCC approval. If completed, the combined company would reach 80 percent of US households, far above the current 39 percent cap, and would require a policy change. Carr has long supported removing that cap.
“Nexstar’s capitulation in hopes of gaining approval for its merger with Tegna is actually Exhibit A in why it should not be allowed to merge with Tegna. Large conglomerates have enormous leverage to facilitate the Trump administration’s crackdown on free speech, both by censoring themselves and by bullying the networks,” Seth Stern, director of advocacy at the Freedom of the Press Foundation, told Al Jazeera.
Carr praised Nexstar last week for dropping Kimmel from its affiliates in markets such as Salt Lake City, Nashville and New Orleans.
Margot Susca, professor of journalism, accountability,and democracy at the American University in Washington, DC, said the FCC’s pressure on Kimmel sets a troubling precedent.
“I think what is concerning is that it’s Jimmy Kimmel now, but it could be Meet The Press [which airs on NBC] next year if another corporate media owner needs to make a deal and the Trump administration or Brendan Carr… say they don’t like a segment that comes on a news programme. These are dark days for the content that appears on broadcast television,” Susca said.
Other media experts argue the issue is rooted in the leverage affiliate owners hold.
In the US, affiliate operators license programming from networks and pay carriage fees to do so. Affiliation typically brings more viewers, and thus, more advertising revenue, which is shared between networks and affiliates. Affiliates can preempt network programming, often for local news during severe weather events or political debates, for instance.
“They [TV station operators] can simply not run those programmes because they don’t really need the networks as much as they did at one time,” Tom Letizia, media consultant and head of political communications firm the Letizia Agency, told Al Jazeera, referring to the global trend of viewers finding their content on social media or streaming platforms.
“This is more about making a profit, and that’s really what this business is about. Let’s not forget that. I mean, ratings are the lifeblood of a TV station. If you don’t have ratings, you can’t charge your advertisers a premium cost for that spot.”
A lot of the advertising spend in smaller markets comes from local political parties, and if the politics do not align, those advertising dollars could be cut.
Nexstar said it stands by its decision to preempt Kimmel indefinitely and will “monitor the show as it returns to ABC”. The company denied political involvement or pressure from the Trump administration.
“The decision to preempt Jimmy Kimmel Live! was made unilaterally by the senior executive team at Nexstar, and they had no communication with the FCC or any government agency prior to making that decision,” a Nexstar spokesman told Al Jazeera.
Sinclair Broadcasting said on Monday that it does not plan to resume airing Kimmel’s show on its 38 ABC affiliates, opting instead for news programming.
The company, the second-largest US station operator after Nexstar, pushed Kimmel to apologise and “make a meaningful personal donation to the Kirk Family and Turning Point USA”, Kirk’s conservative activist organisation.
Sinclair has long faced criticism for its conservative leanings. David Smith, the company’s executive chairman, donated $250,000 in 2024 to Kirk’s Turning Point USA through the David D Smith Family Foundation, whose listed address matches Sinclair’s headquarters.
In 2018, Sinclair required local anchors to read a script criticising “one-sided media coverage”, which Trump, then in his first term in office, praised. This came as the company pursued a $3.9bn merger with Tribune Media at the time, a deal that ultimately collapsed after Tribune pulled out.
“As the owners of the stations, they can make the choices over what their content is. Sinclair is a pretty right-wing organisation,” Susca said.
“When they buy a station in a local market, it tacks coverage to the right. They focus more on national politics.”
A 2019 study in the American Political Science Review found that Sinclair stations leaned more conservative than their competitors in the same markets.
“Discussions with ABC are ongoing as we evaluate the show’s potential return,” Sinclair said in a statement. The company did not respond to Al Jazeera’s request for further comment.
Disney’s move to reinstate Kimmel comes amid widespread public pressure. Celebrities and elected officials called for boycotts of Disney-owned platforms, including Disney+, ESPN and Hulu, in the wake of his suspension.
Google Trends data showed that searches to cancel those platforms spiked to their highest-ever levels following the suspension.
ABC directly owns only eight stations, including in New York and Houston. WABC in New York faced political backlash when leading mayoral candidate Zohran Mamdani pulled out of a debate it was set to host, citing ABC’s suspension of Kimmel.
“Broadcast media is a business. Make no mistake that Kimmel being taken off the air was a business decision. Kimmel being put back on the air is a business decision,” Susca said.
Disney’s stock has fallen 2.78 percent over the past five days.
Laura Crompton, a media analyst and head of global communications agency Hopscotch’s Los Angeles office, said that Tuesday’s show could provide a ratings boost.
“For now, it seems they’ve chosen to put things right and show that they won’t cower to overreach or threats. But something tells me this isn’t over yet. If we want to find a silver lining, I suspect Kimmel’s comeback show tonight will smash audience numbers, even without the 25 percent of audiences disenfranchised by the ongoing standoff regionally. And realistically, I’m sure we’re all relieved we don’t have to take the moral high road and give up our Disney+ favorite shows now,” Crompton told Al Jazeera.
Daily Star
1 of 6
Arsenal interested in Takefusa Kubo, and Liverpool prepared to offer midfielder Ryan Gravenberch a new deal, while Crystal Palace is not interested in selling Adam Wharton.
Ryan Gravenberch, a 23-year-old Netherlands midfielder, will be offered a new long-term contract by Liverpool. (Talksport)
Takefusa Kubo, 24, from Real Sociedad, is a transfer target for Arsenal in January. (Fichajes – Spanish)
In the January transfer window, Liverpool were informed that they had no way of convincing Crystal Palace to sell England international Adam Wharton, 21. (Teamtalk)
Frenkie de Jong, 28, a 28-year-old Netherlands midfielder, has agreed to extend his stay until 2029 on reduced wages, making it possible for Barcelona to make a breakthrough. (Mundo Deportivo, Spanish)
Former Leeds United and Chelsea striker Patrick Bamford, 32, is a free agent after seven years at the club, according to Getafe. (Football Espana)
Both Liverpool and Arsenal have been informed that Vinicius Junior, a 25-year-old Brazilian winger, is uncertain about his future at Real Madrid. (TBR Football)
Harry Wilson, 28, who was targeted by Leeds over the summer, will hold talks with Fulham manager Marco Silva regarding a contract extension. (Sky Sports)
Real Madrid defeated Levante on Tuesday to extend their winning run in La Liga by a respectable 4-1 victory.
As Xabi Alonso’s side maintained their 100 percent record, Kylian Mbappe scored twice in six games to add to their seven league goals.
Franco Mastantuono and Vinicius Junior both hit the mark for the league leaders with excellent finishes.
Real Oviedo, the Spanish champions, will face second-placed Barcelona on Thursday, with Madrid five points clear.
Alonso’s performance in the win over Espanyol on Saturday made Vinicius unhappy, but the Brazilian winger started on the left and delivered.
Since finishing second in last year’s Ballon d’Or rankings behind Rodri, Vinicius has struggled to maintain consistency.
After a strong game, he found his rhythm at the Ciutat de Valencia stadium and opened the scoring with a 28-minute lead.
Read more about Isak’s first goal for Liverpool in the League Cup victory over a scared Chelsea.
As the Los Blancos threatened, Valencia goalkeeper Mathew Ryan made a strong save to prevent Vinicius from hitting the post.
Vinicius fed a lavish effort into the far post with the help of Fede Valverde on the right of the box.
In the opening moments, Ivan Romero and Adrian de la Fuente were able to beat Levante, but they were forced to back, and Madrid won the game with a goal-scorching header from Vinicius.
Before half-time, Ryan finely stopped Vinicius from close range.
After Romero’s cross was deflected and volleyed into the air, Levante striker Karl Etta Eyong headed home with a close finish after being in excellent form at the start of the season.
Levante had a moment of hope, but Mbappe quickly oversaw that.
Unai Elgezabal awkwardly brought down the French superstar in the box, but Mbappe cheekily ducked the third-minute penalty down the middle.
The forward then rounded Ryan and scored his night’s second goal, which was assisted by Arda Guler.
After moving from Paris Saint-Germain in the summer of 2024, Mbappe struggled in his first few months at Madrid before excelling in his final season.
