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1Repair Windows errors before they cause bigger problems2Scan for outdated or missing drivers - takes under a minute3Clear out junk files and repair common Windows errorsThe headline referred to Tuesday, September 23, 2025—not tomorrow in the present day. Jimmy Kimmel Live! returned to ABC that night at 11:35 p.m. Eastern, with Glen Powell and Sarah McLachlan announced as guests. Most ABC affiliates carried the episode, but stations affiliated with Sinclair Broadcast Group and Nexstar Media Group initially preempted it in several markets. That temporary blackout ended on September 26, 2025.
If you were in an affected market, the practical alternatives were a live-TV streaming service carrying an ABC feed available in your ZIP code, next-day viewing on Hulu, and official clips from ABC and the show’s YouTube channel.
What actually happened?
ABC announced on Monday, September 22, 2025, that Jimmy Kimmel Live! would return the following evening after a six-day suspension. The scheduled episode aired on Tuesday, September 23, at 11:35 p.m. EDT, and ABC listed Glen Powell and Sarah McLachlan as guests. ABC’s published schedule also directed viewers to its website and the program’s official online destinations.
The word Live is part of the program’s title; it does not mean every episode is broadcast in real time. For viewing purposes, the important information was the program’s scheduled late-night broadcast slot and the local station’s decision about whether to carry it.
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The show was not permanently canceled. ABC and Disney reinstated it after what Disney described as thoughtful conversations with Kimmel.
Why had Jimmy Kimmel’s show been suspended?
ABC and Disney suspended the program on September 17, 2025, after Kimmel made comments about reactions to the killing of conservative activist Charlie Kirk. The comments triggered political criticism, including public remarks from FCC Chair Brendan Carr.
The controversy also involved local broadcasters. Nexstar announced that its ABC affiliates would preempt the show, while Sinclair said its ABC affiliates would replace it with news programming. Those affiliate decisions occurred alongside the network’s suspension and became the reason some viewers could not see the program even after ABC announced its return.
This article does not treat the competing political interpretations of Kimmel’s remarks as settled fact. The relevant viewing point is simpler: ABC restored the show, but some local ABC stations did not immediately restore it to their schedules.
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ABC is a national broadcast network, but many stations carrying ABC programming are owned or operated by separate companies. A local affiliate receives programming from ABC and decides how to schedule it within the limits of its network agreement.
In this case, ABC supplied the returning program, while the local affiliate determined whether it would appear on that market’s ABC channel. Sinclair and Nexstar initially continued preempting Jimmy Kimmel Live! on their affected ABC affiliates. Those stations substituted other programming, including news.
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That is why the statement that viewers “wouldn’t be able to watch it” was accurate for some local ABC broadcasts but too broad as a nationwide description. ABC had not canceled the return everywhere, and most ABC affiliates aired the episode.
The affected markets included places such as Washington, Seattle, St. Louis, Nashville, Lubbock and Topeka, although the exact list depended on the specific ABC station and its schedule. Viewers should check the local station rather than assume every station in a city—or every station owned by one company—made the same decision.
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How large was the blackout?
Contemporary coverage described the combined Sinclair and Nexstar impact as roughly one-quarter of ABC affiliates. Another report estimated that the groups’ stations reached about 23% of U.S. households. These figures describe different things—affiliates, markets, stations and households—and should not be treated as interchangeable.
When the preemption ended, the restoration covered 28 Nexstar ABC affiliates and 38 Sinclair local markets, according to the Associated Press. That does not establish one definitive nationwide station count because ownership, operating arrangements, partner stations and service agreements can be counted in different ways.
How to find out whether your local station was affected
- Identify your ABC affiliate. Find the station’s call sign in your television guide, on your provider’s channel listing or through a local search.
- Check the station’s own schedule. The station website is more useful than a generic ABC listing when a local preemption is possible.
- Check ownership or affiliation information. Sinclair’s station directory and Nexstar’s station directory are useful reference points, but station ownership and affiliation arrangements can change.
- Confirm the broadcast listing for the date in question. The published network time was 11:35 p.m. Eastern, but local listings can reflect time-zone differences, schedule changes or a station’s substitute programming.
Having ABC in your channel lineup did not by itself guarantee that you would receive Kimmel. Your cable, satellite or streaming provider may simply have carried the same local ABC affiliate that chose to preempt the episode.
How affected viewers could watch
1. Watch the local ABC broadcast
If your local ABC affiliate was carrying the program, the straightforward option was to tune in at the station’s listed time. In most markets, the return was scheduled for 11:35 p.m. Eastern, with the corresponding local time in other time zones. Checking the affiliate’s online guide was still advisable because local stations control their schedules.
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2. Use a live-TV streaming service with the right local ABC feed
At the time, coverage identified services including Fubo, Hulu + Live TV, DIRECTV and Sling TV in selected markets as possible live-TV alternatives. The crucial qualification is that local-channel availability varies by market.
A live-TV subscription does not automatically provide ABC in every ZIP code. Before subscribing, search the service by city, ZIP code or local station call sign and confirm that it carries an ABC feed. If the service carries the same preempting affiliate, changing providers may not solve the problem. Some services may also offer network programming on demand or through a TV Everywhere application where a local station is unavailable; availability and timing depend on the service and market.
Do not assume that YouTube TV, Sling, Fubo, Hulu + Live TV or DIRECTV will carry the relevant ABC station everywhere. Local-channel lineups are geographic and can change.
3. Watch the episode later on Hulu
For viewers who did not need a live broadcast, Hulu was the clearest on-demand option. ABC identifies Hulu as a streaming destination for Jimmy Kimmel Live!, and coverage at the time reported next-day availability for the returning episode.
This was a next-day streaming option, not a promise that a regular Hulu subscription would provide a live ABC broadcast. Live viewing requires a live-TV product, where available, with an appropriate local ABC feed.
4. Watch official clips online
ABC and the official Jimmy Kimmel Live! YouTube channel posted the return monologue and other official segments. ABC’s online program destinations were also available.
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These online uploads should not be confused with a guaranteed full live stream of the episode. Official clips may omit other segments, the complete episode and the original broadcast advertising. The official return monologue is a reliable example of what was posted.
What about an antenna?
An antenna can receive your local over-the-air ABC station, but it cannot bypass that station’s programming decision. If the station preempted Kimmel, an antenna would receive the substitute programming too. An antenna was useful only if the local ABC affiliate was carrying the episode—or if another nearby ABC station was legally receivable and available in the viewer’s area.
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The blackout was temporary
The immediate-return coverage created the impression that affected stations might continue refusing to air the show indefinitely. That did not happen.
| Date | What happened |
|---|---|
| September 15, 2025 | Kimmel made the comments that triggered the controversy. |
| September 17, 2025 | Nexstar announced that its ABC affiliates would preempt the program, and ABC/Disney suspended the show. |
| September 22, 2025 | ABC and Disney announced the September 23 return. Sinclair and Nexstar said their affected ABC affiliates would continue preempting it. |
| September 23, 2025 | Kimmel returned on most ABC stations at the scheduled 11:35 p.m. Eastern time. |
| September 24, 2025 | Coverage confirmed that affected Nexstar and Sinclair ABC affiliates were still not carrying the show. |
| September 26, 2025 | Sinclair and Nexstar announced that their ABC affiliates would resume airing the program. |
| August 10, 2026 | The show remained active on ABC, with current episodes available through ABC and Hulu. |
In other words, the local-affiliate blackout lasted from the September 23 return until the restoration announced on September 26. It was not a permanent nationwide loss of the program.
Independent reader supportYour contribution helps us test, update, and keep practical guides available for everyone.Was the FCC responsible for the preemptions?
That question requires careful wording. Three points are established:
- FCC Chair Brendan Carr publicly criticized Kimmel and warned broadcasters that regulatory consequences could be possible.
- Sinclair and Nexstar preempted the show on their ABC affiliates.
- Whether those decisions resulted from government pressure, regulatory leverage, corporate interests, the companies’ own programming judgments or some combination remained disputed.
Sinclair said its decision was independent of government interaction or influence in its official statement. Congressional critics, meanwhile, argued that Carr’s remarks could create coercive pressure and raise First Amendment concerns; Senate Commerce Committee Democrats called for Carr to testify about the matter in a published letter and statement.
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The FCC’s relevant broadcast rule is the right-to-reject rule. In its 2008 order, the FCC explained that network-affiliate agreements cannot prevent a station from rejecting a network program it reasonably considers unsuitable, contrary to the public interest or less important than substitute programming. The same order also says this does not give affiliates an unrestricted right to preempt network programming. The rule therefore provides context for the dispute, but it does not support the unsupported claim that the FCC ordered ABC to cancel Kimmel or directly ordered the stations to remove the show.
The safest description is that the suspension, affiliate preemptions and government criticism were connected events in a contested political and regulatory dispute—not proof of a single legally established explanation for every broadcaster’s decision.
What is the current status of Jimmy Kimmel Live!?
As of August 10, 2026, Jimmy Kimmel Live! remained an active ABC program, and ABC and Hulu continued to list current episodes. The original “returns tomorrow” wording is therefore stale: the relevant return date was September 23, 2025, and the Sinclair/Nexstar broadcast blackout had already ended on September 26, 2025.
For a future episode, the dependable process is still the same: check the local ABC affiliate’s schedule first, verify local-channel availability before paying for a live-TV service, and use Hulu or official ABC and YouTube uploads if live broadcast access is unavailable.
Frequently Asked Questions
Did ABC cancel Jimmy Kimmel Live!?
No. ABC and Disney suspended the show on September 17, 2025, announced its return for September 23, and the program remained active on ABC and Hulu as of August 10, 2026.
Why didn’t having ABC on cable guarantee access to Kimmel?
Many ABC stations are locally owned or operated by companies other than ABC/Disney. Sinclair and Nexstar initially preempted the program on their affected ABC affiliates, so a cable or satellite provider could have been carrying the same local station that replaced it.
Could viewers watch the September 23, 2025, return on YouTube?
The official YouTube channel posted the return monologue and other clips. The available evidence does not establish that YouTube provided a guaranteed complete live broadcast of the episode.
When did the ABC-affiliate blackout end?
Sinclair and Nexstar announced on September 26, 2025, that their ABC affiliates would resume airing the show.
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Bottom line: Jimmy Kimmel’s return was on September 23, 2025, at 11:35 p.m. Eastern. Most ABC stations aired it, but some Sinclair and Nexstar affiliates temporarily preempted it. Affected viewers could check for another local ABC feed through a live-TV service, watch the episode on Hulu the next day, or use official ABC and YouTube clips. The affiliate blackout ended on September 26, 2025.
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