Jimmy Kimmel has not been permanently removed from ABC. The network temporarily preempted Jimmy Kimmel Live! in September 2025, then brought it back. The current dispute is separate: ABC and Disney are challenging an FCC order for early license reviews of eight ABC-owned stations. At an October 6, 2026, hearing, a federal judge did not rule on ABC’s request to block those reviews.
Is Jimmy Kimmel back on ABC?
Yes. ABC brought Jimmy Kimmel Live! back after its September 2025 indefinite preemption. That network-level return did not mean every local ABC affiliate immediately aired the program: Nexstar stations continued to preempt it, while Sinclair later announced it would resume airing the show on its ABC affiliates.
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The FCC’s current license-review dispute concerns ABC-owned stations, not a new order to take Kimmel’s program off the air. The October 2026 reports do not say those stations’ licenses had been revoked.
What happened in September 2025?
After Kimmel made comments about reactions to Charlie Kirk’s death, ABC said the show would be “preempted indefinitely.” ABC News reported that FCC Chair Brendan Carr had called for Kimmel’s suspension before ABC announced the preemption. The announcement described an indefinite interruption, not a confirmed permanent cancellation.
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Local affiliates made separate carriage decisions
| Date | Decision | What it meant |
|---|---|---|
| September 23, 2025 | Nexstar said its ABC-affiliated stations would continue to preempt the program as it returned to ABC. | The show’s return to the network did not ensure carriage on Nexstar stations. Nexstar said it would be available on Disney-owned streaming products. |
| September 26, 2025 | Sinclair announced the program would return that evening on its ABC affiliates. | Sinclair said its earlier preemption was independent of government interaction or influence; that is Sinclair’s stated position. |
The announcements document the companies’ decisions, not a complete schedule for every local affiliate. Local availability therefore varied, and the cited reports do not establish that all affiliates carried the show continuously after its network return.
Why are ABC and Disney suing the FCC?
In August 2026, ABC and Disney sued the FCC and Carr after the commission ordered eight ABC-owned stations to submit license-renewal applications years ahead of schedule, according to the Associated Press. AP reported that Carr ordered the early review in April 2026 after a Kimmel joke angered President Donald Trump.
ABC is challenging the early review in court. The case concerns the agency’s review of station licenses and ABC’s claim that government action threatens its editorial independence; it is distinct from ABC’s earlier programming decision about the show.
Independent reader supportYour contribution helps us test, update, and keep practical guides available for everyone.What happened at the October 6, 2026, hearing?
ABC asked a federal judge for a preliminary injunction to block the early review. The judge did not rule at the hearing and requested further submissions: the government’s were due October 9 and ABC’s October 14. AP reported on October 6 that a ruling was not expected before mid-October; those were the reported deadlines and expectation at that time, not the eventual outcome.
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At the hearing, ABC attorney Beth Wilkinson argued that the dispute was already affecting the network’s editorial decisions, saying, “Our editorial decisions are being affected right now.” She described the alleged irreparable injury as “The irreparable injury is the chill, and the threat of retaliation for First Amendment speech and editorial decisions ABC makes every day.” These were ABC’s arguments, not findings by the judge.
Quick Recap
What is decided, and what remains unresolved?
- Decided: ABC brought Jimmy Kimmel Live! back after its 2025 indefinite preemption; affiliate carriage was not uniform at first.
- Under dispute: ABC and Disney are contesting the FCC’s early review of eight ABC-owned stations’ licenses.
- Not decided at the October 6 hearing: whether the judge would block the license review. The cited report records no ruling at that hearing.
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