How to watch
The Walt Disney Company has announced that Kimmel's show will return on Tuesday night.By
Shania Russell
September 23, 2025 5:16 p.m. ET
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Jimmy Kimmel on 'Jimmy Kimmel Live!'.Credit:
Randy Holmes/ABC via Getty
Jimmy Kimmel is returning to ABC nearly a week after getting suspended — but his show won't be available to watch everywhere.
On Monday, ABC's corporate parent, the Walt Disney Company, ended Kimmel's indefinite suspension over comments that the comedian made in relation to Charlie Kirk's death. But while Jimmy Kimmel Live is slated to resume its 11:35 p.m. ET/PT broadcast on Tuesday night, TV station group owners Nexstar Media and Sinclair have said they will continue to preempt the show.
Together, the broadcasters account for over one-fourth of ABC’s roughly 240 national stations. So while many are curious to see Kimmel address his suspension in his Tuesday monologue, the episode won't air in several markets across the United States, including parts of California, Texas, Florida, Washington D.C., and more.
Below is everything you need to know about to watch the return of Jimmy Kimmel Live.
How to watch Jimmy Kimmel Live without cable
Jimmy Kimmel Live.
Randy Holmes via Getty
When Kimmel returns to the air with guests Glen Powell and Sarah McLachlan, cord-cutters will have an easy time tuning in to see what the host has to say about the ABC controversy. Several streamers offer linear TV options, including DirecTV, Fubo, SlingTV, and Hulu + Live TV — all of which also offer free trials.
In many cases, viewers in affected Sinclair and Nexstar markets can use these options to bypass local preemptions thanks to streaming services including multiple local ABC stations that TV service does not. But in markets where Sinclair and Nexstar have broadcasting exclusivity, customers will need to pair their streaming service with a VPN.
Which Sinclair stations will not air Jimmy Kimmel Live?
The largest owner of ABC affiliate stations in the country, Sinclair Broadcasting Group has stated that it will not air the late night show despite ABC ending Kimmel's suspension."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," the broadcasting company shared in a social media post on Monday,
Instead of the late night show, the following Sinclair-owned ABC stations will air news programming:
- Alabama — Bessemer (WDBB)
- Alabama — Birmingham (WABM and ABC 33/40)
- Alabama — Mobile (WEAR-TV)
- Alabama — Tuscaloosa (WDBB)
- Arkansas — Little Rock (KATV)
- California — Arcata (KAEF-TV)
- California — Chico (KRCR-TV)
- California — Eureka (KAEF-TV)
- California — Redding (KRCR-TV)
- Florida — Pensacola (WEAR-TV)
- Florida — Fort Walton Beach (WEAR-TV)
- Georgia — Macon (WGXA)
- Michigan — Cadillac (WGTU)
- Michigan — Cheboygan (WTOM-TV)
- Michigan — Sault Ste. Marie (WGTQ)
- Michigan — Traverse City (WGTU)
- Missouri — St. Louis (KDNL-TV)
- Nebraska — Grand Island (NTV)
- Nebraska — Hastings (NTV)
- Nebraska — Hayes Center (NTV)
- Nebraska — Kearney (NTV)
- Nebraska — McCook (NTV)
- Nebraska — North Platte (NTV, KHGI-CD)
- New Mexico — Clovis (KVIH-TV)
- New York — Rochester (WHAM-TV)
- North Carolina — Asheville (WLOS)
- North Carolina — Greensboro (WXLV-TV)
- North Carolina — Greenville (WCTI-TV)
- North Carolina — High Point (WXLV-TV)
- North Carolina — Jacksonville (WCTI-TV)
- North Carolina — Lumberton (WPDE-TV)
- North Carolina — New Bern (WCTI-TV)
- North Carolina — Washington (WCTI-TV)
- North Carolina — Winston-Salem (WXLV-TV)
- Ohio — Columbus (WSYX)
- Ohio — Dayton (WKEF)
- Oklahoma — Tulsa (KTUL)
- Oregon — Portland (KATU)
- Oregon — Salem (KATU)
- Pennsylvania — Altoona (WATM-TV)
- Pennsylvania — Johnstown (WATM-TV)
- Pennsylvania — State College (WATM-TV)
- South Carolina — Anderson (WLOS)
- South Carolina — Charleston (WCIV)
- South Carolina — Florence (WPDE-TV)
- South Carolina — Greenville (WLOS)
- South Carolina — Myrtle Beach (WPDE-TV)
- South Carolina — Spartanburg (WLOS)
- Tennessee — Chattanooga (WTVC)
- Texas — Abilene (KTXS-TV)
- Texas — Amarillo (KVII-TV)
- Texas — San Angelo (KTXE-LD)
- Texas — Sweetwater (KTXS-TV)
- Virginia — Lynchburg (WSET-TV)
- Virginia — Roanoke (WSET-TV)
- Washington, D.C. — Washington, D.C. (WJLA-TV)
- Washington — Seattle (KOMO-TV)
- Washington — Tacoma (KOMO-TV)
- Washington — Vancouver (KATU)
- West Virginia — Charleston (WCHS-TV)
- West Virginia — Huntington (WCHS-TV)
- West Virginia — Parkersburg (WCHS-TV)
Which Nexstar stations will not air Jimmy Kimmel Live?
Jimmy Kimmel on his ABC late night show, 'Jimmy Kimmel Live'.
Randy Holmes/ABC via Getty
Media group Nexstar, which operates the largest group of local TV stations across the U.S., announced Tuesday that it would continue to preempt Jimmy Kimmel Live and replace the late night show with local programming.
"We stand by that decision pending assurance that all parties are committed to fostering an environment of respectful, constructive dialogue in the markets we serve," Nexstar said in a statement.
The following Nexstar-owned ABC stations will not air Kimmel's return:
- Alabama — Dothan (WDHN)
- Connecticut — Hartford (WTNH)
- Connecticut — New Haven (WTNH)
- Florida — Panama City (WMBB)
- Georgia — Augusta (WJBF)
- Illinois — Rockford (WTVO)
- Indiana — Evansville (WEHT)
- Indiana — Terre Haute (WAWV-TV)
- Iowa — Sioux City (KCAU-TV)
- Kansas — Pittsburg (KODE-TV)
- Kansas — Topeka (KTKA-TV)
- Kentucky — Henderson (WEHT)
- Kentucky — Owensboro (WEHT)
- Louisiana — New Orleans (WGNO)
- Michigan — Battle Creek (WOTV)
- Michigan — Grand Rapids (WOTV)
- Michigan — Jackson (WLAJ)
- Michigan — Kalamazoo (WOTV)
- Michigan — Lansing (WLAJ)
- Missouri — Joplin (KODE-TV)
- Montana — Billings (KSVI)
- New York — Albany (WTEN)
- New York — Binghamton (WIVT)
- New York — Plattsburgh (WVNY)
- New York — Rome (WUTR)
- New York — Schenectady (WTEN)
- New York — Syracuse (WSYR-TV)
- New York — Troy (WTEN)
- New York — Utica (WUTR)
- New York — Watertown (WWTI)
- Ohio — Youngstown (WYTV)
- Pennsylvania — Erie (WJET-TV)
- Pennsylvania — Harrisburg (WHTM-TV)
- Pennsylvania — Lancaster (WHTM-TV)
- Pennsylvania — Lebanon (WHTM-TV)
- Pennsylvania — York (WHTM-TV)
- Tennessee — Bristol (WJHL-TV)
- Tennessee — Johnson City (WJHL-TV)
- Tennessee — Kingsport (WJHL-TV)
- Tennessee — Knoxville (WATE-TV)
- Tennessee — Nashville (WKRN-TV)
- Texas — Lubbock (KAMC)
- Texas — Midland (KMID)
- Texas — Odessa (KMID)
- Utah — Salt Lake City (KTVX)
- Vermont — Burlington (WVNY)
- Virginia — Bristol (WJHL-TV)
- Virginia — Petersburg (WRIC-TV)
- Virginia — Richmond (WRIC-TV)
- West Virginia — Clarksburg (WBOY-TV)
- West Virginia — Fairmont (WBOY-TV)
- West Virginia — Morgantown (WBOY-TV)
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How to watch Jimmy Kimmel Live with cable
For those not in the above affected markets, Kimmel will be available to watch on ABC, as usual. Cable subscribers can also tune in through their cable TV provider, on ABC.com or the ABC mobile app.Why was Jimmy Kimmel's show suspended?
President Donald Trump, late night host Jimmy Kimmel and FCC chairman Brendan Carr.
Rebecca Noble/Bloomberg via Getty; Bruce Glikas/WireImage; Jonathan Newton-Pool/Getty
Kimmel was suspended in the wake of pushback from FCC Chairman Brendan Carr and ABC affiliate station owners. On the Sept. 15 episode of his show, Kimmel was discussing Kirk's alleged killer when he said, "We had some new lows over the weekend with the MAGA gang desperately trying to characterize this kid who murdered Charlie Kirk as anything other than one of them and with everything they can to score political points from it."
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Carr, the FCC chair appointed by President Donald Trump, then called for Disney to punish Kimmel for engaging in "some of the sickest conduct possible" and implored local broadcast affiliates to preempt the show in retaliation.
"Disney needs to see some change here," Carr said during an interview with The Benny Show. "But the individual licensed stations that are taking their content, it's time for them to step up and say this, you know, garbage to the extent that that's what comes down the pipe in the future isn't something that we think serves the needs of our local communities."
ABC subsequently announced that Kimmel's show was going off the air "indefinitely." Kimmel has yet to publicly address his suspension.
Jimmy Kimmel Live returns Tuesday, Sept. 23 at 11:35 p.m. ET/PT.
