Does anyone really care?
Jimmy Kimmel’s show is returning to ABC on Tuesday, but not all stations will air it
Jimmy Kimmel’s late-night show will return to ABC’s airwaves on Tuesday, nearly a week after it was suspended amid criticism of the host’s remarks about the assassination of conservative activist Charlie Kirk.
But many households across the U.S. still may not see the show. Sinclair, a company that operates more than 35 ABC affiliates across the U.S., said that it would replace Kimmel with news programming.
“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 said in a statement.
ABC’s announcement ends an impasse that had drawn national attention, plunging Disney into a political firestorm at the intersection of debates over free speech and “cancel culture.” But the Sinclair statement highlights how ABC’s decision is only part of the ongoing negotiations that would return Kimmel to TVs across the U.S.
Disney, which owns ABC, said in a statement Monday: “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.”
At the beginning ABC said it was a suspension, most likely because Kimmel was going to triple down on his stupid comments (not jokes, no punchline). Sinclair only owns 33 stations, so, is that a big deal? Will Nextar join in? Really, the majority of Kimmel’s small viewership comes from a few liberal markets, like DC, LA, NYC, but, he can still only generate around 1.1 million a night (some report under 800K). Will all the barking moonbats who advocated for Kimmel watch his show, or, will they still find it not entertaining?
LOL. “Entertainment”. Sinclair should run comedy shows as a counterpoint. You know the subject will be Trump Trump Trump.
You have to wonder, is ABC just riding out Kimmel’s contract till it expires in May of 2026, and then simply not bother to renew it? Why keep losing money? Advertising revenue is way down, the show costs a fortune to produce, and it generates ill will.
I expect a ratings boost for a couple days, then most will realize the show is neither funny nor entertaining, and only the super Trump deranged watch it, much like with the old Air America.
Read: Jimmy Kimmel’s Political Show To Return Tuesday Or Something »