The Jimmy Kimmel late-night show returned to Vermont TV screens last Friday after a sudden reversal by Nexstar Media Group. The national company owns the local ABC affiliate station WVNY, branded as ABC22 or MyChamplainValley, which airs Jimmy Kimmel Live!
Earlier last week, ABC’s parent company, Disney, reinstated the show, but both Nexstar and Sinclair Broadcast Group, which own nearly 70 ABC-affiliate stations between them, said they would continue to preempt Jimmy Kimmel Live!
Nexstar then had conversations with Disney executives that addressed their concerns, according to Nexstar’s statement announcing the decision to restart the broadcast.
Ultimately, the show was kept off Vermont television for three nights last week, but was available nationwide on Disney-owned streaming platforms.
“As a local broadcaster, Nexstar remains committed to protecting the First Amendment while producing and airing local and national news that is fact-based and unbiased and, above all, broadcasting content that is in the best interest of the communities we serve,” the company said in the Friday statement.
Nexstar’s media spokesperson, Gary Weitman, declined to elaborate further on the matter.
The show was originally suspended by Disney on Sept. 17, following Kimmel’s on-air comments about Charlie Kirk’s killing and amid threats of repercussions from Brendan Carr, the Trump-appointed head of the Federal Communications Commission, which oversees broadcast licenses.
But Disney announced the show would return on Sept. 22 after receiving intense criticism from across the political spectrum, with many people denouncing the decision to suspend the program as an infringement on free speech. Over 400 celebrities supported Kimmel and signed an open letter organized by the American Civil Liberties Union.
Both Nexstar and Sinclair ultimately decided to resume broadcasting the show on Sept. 26, just days after Disney resumed production.
MyChamplainValley’s general manager, Tina Marie Castano, did not respond to a request for comment Monday.
