The legacy media are content to further self-debase by reducing themselves to heralds of the triumphant return of Free Speech Martyr Jimmy Kimmel to late-night television. In so doing, they are turning their focus on the holdout affiliate groups still refusing to air Kimmel unless he can show proof of human decency.
ABC World News Tonight once again straddled that line between corporate synergy and leftwing sycophancy. Like a Colossus. Watch as Trevor Ault closes out tonight’s item on Kimmel:
TREVOR AULT: Tonight, two station groups that own some ABC stations, Nexstar and Sinclair, have indicated their local ABC affiliates will not air Jimmy Kimmel, at least for now. Nexstar saying they want “assurance that all parties are committed to fostering an environment of respectful constructive dialogue in the markets we serve.” Meantime, with Kimmel returning, millions will be watching, and Kimmel well aware of the critics on all sides, amid this fierce debate over free speech. David, Disney says it suspended the show to avoid further inflaming a tense situation. And after what they called multiple thoughtful conversations with Kimmel, determined he would return tonight.
The report dispensed with the usual Muir extended introduction that could’ve served as its own brief. Correspondent Trevor Ault went into a reading of Disney’s full statement, and hyped the return of the formerly suspended Kimmel.
But the report deviated from the norm by introducing new villains to the story: holdout affiliate groups Nexstar and Sinclair, who refuse to air Kimmel and expect an apology before reinstating his show. Per Brian Flood of Fox News:
Sinclair Broadcasting Group and Nexstar Media Group, Inc. expect Jimmy Kimmel to apologize on Tuesday night after infuriating conservatives with remarks about Turning Point USA (TPUSA) Charlie Kirk’s alleged assassin.
ABC’s "Jimmy Kimmy(sic) Live!" was benched by Disney last week amid widespread backlash, but the Mouse House announced an about-face on Monday and Kimmel is expected to address the saga when he returns to air on Tuesday. Sinclair and Nexstar plan to preempt the show, and have issued statements that they’re not ready for Kimmel to return to air.
Sinclair, Nexstar and Disney have been working behind the scenes with TPUSA to resolve the situation, a source familiar with the talks told Fox News Digital.
Nothing about an apology was mentioned by ABC or CBS, although they did take the time to mention Nexstar and Sinclair as holdouts. The only outlet to mention the apology condition was NBC, and only in passing as Liz Kreutz closed out her report:
LIZ KREUTZ: We still don’t know what Kimmel will say during his monologue tonight, and if he’ll apologize. Tom.
That was the sole mention of an apology that we’ll hopefully hear tonight, Otherwise, viewers were subjected to another night of the legacy media being town criers for Kimmel.
Click “expand” to view the full transcripts of the aforementioned reports as aired on their respective networks on Tuesday, September 23rd, 2025:
ABC WORLD NEWS TONIGHT
9/23/25
6:42 PM
DAVID MUIR: Tonight, just hours from now, Jimmy Kimmel returning to late night TV. What influential podcaster Joe Rogan is now saying amid this debate over free speech in this country. Also, Kimmel's first post tonight, and the two guests he will welcome on his first show back. ABC's Trevor Ault now from Los Angeles.
LOU WILSON: It's Jimmy Kimmel Live!
TREVOR AULT: Tonight, Jimmy Kimmel will be back on the air, after Disney/ABC paused the show indefinitely following comments Kimmel made about the ideology of the suspect in Charlie Kirk's killing. In announcing Kimmel's return, Disney says, "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. 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." The temporary pause came after President Trump's FCC chairman Brendan Carr pressured local ABC stations to stop airing Kimmel's late-night show.
BRENDAN CARR: We can do this the easy way or the hard way. These companies can find ways to change conduct, to take action, frankly, on Kimmel, or, you know, there's going to be additional work for the FCC ahead.
AULT: Disney/ABC then suspended Kimmel's show indefinitely to allow for discussions with Kimmel and his team. What followed was a very public debate over free speech in this country. Critics suggesting the move was caving to political pressure. Even some Republicans and well-known conservatives speaking out. Republican senator Ted Cruz comparing Brendan Carr's comments to those of a mafia boss.
TED CRUZ: He says, we can do this the easy way or we can do this the hard way.
BEN FERGUSON: Yeah.
CRUZ: And I got to say, that's right out of Goodfellas. That's right out of a mafioso coming into a bar going, “nice bar you have here, it’d be a shame if something happened to it.”
AULT: And just today, influential podcaster Joe Rogan saying the government should not be involved in what a comedian can or cannot say.
JOE ROGAN: I definitely don't think that the government should be involved ever in dictating what a comedian can or cannot say in a monologue. That's [ bleep ] crazy.
AULT: Today, Kimmel's show posting an image of Jimmy Kimmel and his longtime sidekick Guillermo, captioned, “we are back, full of love”. The show is expected to bell welcome actor Glenn Powell and musician Sarah McLachlan. Tonight, two station groups that own some ABC stations, Nexstar and Sinclair, have indicated their local ABC affiliates will not air Jimmy Kimmel, at least for now. Nexstar saying they want “assurance that all parties are committed to fostering an environment of respectful constructive dialogue in the markets we serve.” Meantime, with Kimmel returning, millions will be watching, and Kimmel well aware of the critics on all sides, amid this fierce debate over free speech. David, Disney says it suspended the show to avoid further inflaming a tense situation. And after what they called multiple thoughtful conversations with Kimmel, determined he would return tonight. David.
MUIR: All right. Trevor Ault in Los Angeles. Thanks.
CBS EVENING NEWS
9/23/25
6:40 PM
JOHN DICKERSON: Jimmy Kimmel returns to the late-night lineup tonight, nearly a week after The Walt Disney Company suspended him. But you may not be able to see him. It depends on where you live.
MAURICE DuBOIS: Disney owns only eight stations on the ABC network. Two owners of dozens of other ABC-affiliated stations will not be airing the Kimmel show. Jonathan Vigliotti is at the studio tonight in Hollywood.
STEPHEN COLBERT: Our long national late-nightmare is over.
JONATHAN VIGLIOTTI: Late-night hosts were quick to celebrate ABCs announcement that Jimmy Kimmel show will return tonight.
SETH MYERS: Our friend Jimmy Kimmel will be back on the air.
VIGLIOTTI: Kimmel, seen in this Entertainment Tonight that you're arriving at the studio today, was reinstated after ABC said they had, quote: “thoughtful conversations with Jimmy.” But not everyone will be able to watch him on television tonight.
LOU WILSON: And now: Jimmy Kimmel!
VIGLIOTTI: Last week after Kimmel made what ABC called, quote: "Ill-timed and insensitive comments” about Charlie Kirk's alleged shooter, pressure came from FCCchairman Brendan Carr.
BRENDAN CARR: These companies can find ways to change conduct to take action, frankly, on Kimmel, or, you know, there's going to be additional work for the FCC ahead.
VIGLIOTTI: And from two major companies that own local ABC stations, Sinclair and Nexstar, after Kimmel's monologue, they threatened not to air Kimmel's show, which led the ABC network to pull it. Sinclair Nexstar own around 70 stations that carry ABC programming, bringing the Kimmel show into nearly a quarter of U.S. households. But instead of Kimmel tonight, those stations will show local news.
COLBERT: Disney put Kimmel back on because you, the American people, were upset, okay? [Cheers and applause]
VIGLIOTTI: Kimmel's return follows days of protests in New York and L.A. Today, Kimmel made his first post since the controversy began, celebrating legendary TV producer and political activist Norman Lear, a First Amendment supporter. And Kimmel is getting ready to tape his show in the theater behind me. This has been his home for more than 20 years. With the debate over free speech intensifying, tonight’s show could be career-defining.
DICKERSON: Jonathan Vigliotti, thank you.
NBC NIGHTLY NEWS
9/23/25
6:46 PM
TOM LLAMAS: Jimmy Kimmel set to make his return tonight to TV, but despite ABC's decision, several stations announcing they will keep him off the air for now. We get the very latest from Liz Kreutz.
LIZ KREUTZ: Jimmy Kimmel just hours away from making his late-night return.
PROTESTER: I am glad he is back. He deserved it.
KREUTZ: It comes nearly a week after Disney pulled Kimmel off the air following pressure from the FCC chairman, and conservative outrage over comments he made about Charlie Kirk's alleged shooter. Outside the taping Kimmel supporters celebrating the decision to bring him back.
PROTESTER: I am just so happy for him. Free speech. Speech regardless of where you stand politically is important.
KREUTZ: But the spokesperson for Charlie Kirk's organization, Turning Point USA, criticizing Disney for caving and calling it “their mistake to make.” Now Nexstar announcing it's joining with Sinclair and won't run "Jimmy Kimmel Live! Combined, the two television station groups account for nearly 60 ABC stations, which means the program won't be available over broadcast to millions of people, including in Seattle, Nashville, and Washington, D.C. Nexstar is currently seeking approval for a $6 billion merger from FCC chairman Brendan Carr. Today Carr applauded the move to preempt Kimmel, writing Democrats “simply can't stand that local TV stations- for the first time in years- stood up to a national programmer.” Hours before tonight’s show, Kimmel also returning to social media. “Missing this guy today”, he wrote, along with a photo of him with Norman Lear, the producer of boundary-breaking shows like All in the Family and The Jeffersons. Lear was on former President Nixon's enemies list, and was known for successfully fighting back against the FCC in the 1970s over a “family viewing” policy that he saw as censorship.
LLAMAS: All right. Liz Kreutz joins us tonight from outside Jimmy Kimmel’s studio. Liz, what do we know about tonight's show?
KREUTZ: Well, his guest tonight include actor Glen Powell and also Sarah McLachlan, who pulled out of performing at an ABC event over the weekend in protest of Kimmel’s suspension. We still don’t know what Kimmel will say during his monologue tonight, and if he’ll apologize. Tom.
LLAMAS: All right. Liz, we thank you.
