Given its unscripted nature, the world of late night talk shows is traditionally one without very much drama involved, but 2025 reignited the metaphorical Late Night Wars, only between the hosts and the powers that be, as opposed to each other. This week’s big news: ABC is bringing Jimmy Kimmel Live! back on Tuesday night, following the host’s high-profile suspension and a firestorm of vitriolic reactions.
Not everyone is ready to play ball again, though, even if the FCC boss has walked back his prior comments that many viewed as a direct threat. Let’s break it all down.
ABC Announced Jimmy Kimmel Is Returning To Late Night
With reports indicating that a large number of consumers canceled or paused their Disney+ subscriptions, ABC’s parent company execs seemingly experienced a shared change of heart, with the corporation going public with the news that Jimmy Kimmel would be back in front of audiences as soon as Tuesday, September 23, seemingly without any additional stipulations or punishments.
Here’s how Disney explained the series of decisions (via Deadline):
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.
Jimmy Kimmel himself has been all but gone from the face of the Earth since the suspension was announced, likely in part to not further stoke the flames that were sparked by his suspension-enacting comments about Charlie Kirk’s shooter. Plenty of others were more than willing to speak up on his behalf in the meantime, such as Tom Hanks, Meryl Streep, David Letterman, and even Kimmel’s former TV co-host Adam Carolla and his former Senatorial rival Ted Cruz.
FCC Chairman Reframes Earlier "Easy Way Or The Hard Way" Comments
FCC Chairman Brandon Carr's name was already familiar amongst late night audiences, as he was the one who approved the Paramount/Skydance merger that was immediately preceded by ABC cancelling The Late Show with Stephen Colbert. Carr also made headlines soon after Kimmel's suspension for making comments that many assumed were a veiled threat to pull licenses from ABC stations if the network refused to terminate Jimmy Kimmel.
Brandon Carr addressed attendees at the Concordia Summit on Monday, saying that his podcast quotes were not meant to be taken in such a way, and that the "hard way" in question was not threatening at all. As he put it (via Deadline):
What I spoke about last week is that when concerns are raised about news distortion … there’s an easy way for parties to address that and work that out. In the main, that takes place between local television stations that are licensed by the FCC and what we call national programmers like Disney. They work that out, and there doesn’t need to be any involvement of the FCC.
He further contextualized what he supposedly meant by saying "the hard way," saying:
There’s a way that is not as easy, which is someone can file a complaint at the FCC, and then the FCC, by law, as set up by Congress, has to adjudicate that complaint. And what I’ve been very clear in the context of the Kimmel episode, is the FCC, and myself in particular, have expressed no view on the ultimate merits.
On the same podcast that he made the aforementioned comments, Carr also called Kimmel's on-air comments "some of the sickest conduct possible, which some could argue is just such a view.
Sinclair Is Still Refusing To Air Jimmy Kimmel Live!, Despite ABC Decision
As many are aware, the turmoil surrounding Jimmy Kimmel Live! didn't start with ABC, but rather by the broadcast group Nexstar, which announced it was preempting the last night talk show ahead of the network's reveal. In the aftermath, Sinclair also jumped on board and said its 39 affiliates would also be excluding Kimmel episodes.
That stance didn't change after ABC reinstated Jimmy Kimmel, with a spokesperson claiming that discussions are still being had behind the scenes, although it's not clear what those discussions would entiail as far as what Sinclair's endgame might be. The statement reads as follows:
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.
For what it's worth, Sinclair previously claimed that a Charlie Kirk tribute special would be airing on Friday, September 19, during Kimmel's usual time slot. However, the company ended up porting that special to YouTube, and instead chose to air a repeat of Celebrity Family Feud.
Anyone living in a city with a Sinclair affiliate, such as Washington D.C., will likely have to wait until the morning to see what happened, but everyone else around the country will be able to watch Jimmy Kimmel Live!'s return to late night on Tuesday, September 23. Kimmel may very well earn some of his biggest numbers yet with this episode.
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