Jimmy Kimmel is set to make his return to late-night after Disney announced that it would return “Jimmy Kimmel Live!” to the airwaves on Tuesday, Sept. 23, but not all ABC stations are set to carry it.

“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,” Disney said in a Monday, Sept. 22, statement to USA TODAY. “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.”

The reversal follows a backlash in Hollywood and a mounting boycott campaign against Disney.

The ABC late-night show was “pre-empted indefinitely” by the network on Sept. 17, following comments Kimmel made on a Sept. 15 episode regarding the fatal shooting of the conservative commentator Charlie Kirk and apparent threats against ABC parent company Disney and network affiliates made by the chairman of the Federal Communications Commission Brendan Carr.

“This is a very, very serious issue right now for Disney,” Carr said the day of the sidelining on a podcast hosted by right-wing commentator Benny Johnson. “We can do this the easy way or the hard way.”

Media news outlet Status reported that ABC held a series of emergency meetings to discuss how to respond to Carr’s statement and that during those meetings, Nexstar, the owner of over 30 ABC affiliates, would preempt the show on their stations.

Here’s what you need to know and how to watch the return of “Jimmy Kimmel Live!”

Sinclair and Nexstar Won’t Air Jimmy Kimmel’s Return on Their ABC Affiliates

Local TV station owners Sinclair Broadcast Group and Nexstar Media Group each announced that they would not be carrying the return of “Jimmy Kimmel Live!” on their ABC affiliates. The companies collectively own dozens of ABC affiliate stations around the United States.

“Beginning Tuesday night, Sinclair will be preempting ‘Jimmy Kimmel Live!’ across our ABC affiliate stations and replacing it with news programming,” a Sinclair representative said in a statement to USA TODAY on Sept. 22. Sinclair Broadcast Group had previously demanded that Kimmel apologize to Kirk’s family and make a donation to Turning Point USA.

Nexstar followed suit the next day and has doubled down on last week’s decision to preempt the show.

“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 company statement.

Which California Stations Won’t Air ‘Jimmy Kimmel Live’?

Sinclair and Nexstar own several stations throughout California, but very few of them are ABC affiliates.

Sinclair has two ABC affiliates in Northern California, meaning two areas will miss out on Kimmel through television broadcasting, according to Sinclair’s website.

Eureka’s KAEF and Chico-Redding’s KRCR are owned by Sinclair Broadcasting Group and will likely miss out on the Kimmel broadcast unless the broadcaster changes course.

When Does ‘Jimmy Kimmel Live!’ Return?

“Jimmy Kimmel Live!” is set to return Tuesday, Sept. 23 at 8:35 p.m. PST.

Where Can I Watch ‘Jimmy Kimmel Live!’?

“Jimmy Kimmel Live!” generally airs on ABC, although any affiliates owned by Sinclair or Nexstar won’t be carrying the Sept. 23 episode.

Episodes of “Jimmy Kimmel Live!” are available for streaming on Hulu the following day.

Will ’Jimmy Kimmel Live!’ Be Back for Good?

Not necessarily. Nexstar and Sinclair have each decided to preempt the show with other coverage. And while ABC has featured Kimmel’s late-night show since 2003, Kimmel’s contract is up in May 2026, according to The Associated Press and CNN. That could mean more changes ahead.

Who will be a guest on Jimmy Kimmel’s first show back?

It has not yet been revealed if Kimmel will have celebrity guests the night of his return.

Comedian Wanda Sykes was scheduled to appear on Kimmel’s show the evening it was pulled from the air.

“I was getting ready, I was heading to the car, and my publicist called me and was like ‘Don’t come, the show has been preempted,’” Sykes said about the experience.

Arguably, he could have his choice of guests: More than 400 stars, including A-listers like Jennifer Aniston and Tom Hanks, signed a letter in support of Kimmel.

Gov. Gavin Newsom on Kimmel

A social media post announced California Gov. Gavin Newsom would appear on Stephen Colbert’s show Tuesday night and dispelled rumors of the governor being Kimmel’s first guest on his return.

While Newsom will likely not appear on Kimmel’s show, he has been very vocal about his disapproval of ABC and the perceived pressure the Trump administration had on their decision to take Kimmel off air.

“Thank you to everyone but Brendan Carr,” Newsom said in a reply to an X post tagging Carr, announcing Kimmel’s return. “This is a win for free speech everywhere.”

Seeing as the canceling of Colbert’s show was recently announced and Jimmy Kimmel’s talk show was also put on temporary hiatus, the governor could bring up the topic during his brief airtime on primetime TV.

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Ernesto Centeno Araujo covers breaking news for the Ventura County Star. He can be reached at ecentenoaraujo@vcstar.com, 805-437-0224 or @ecentenoaraujo on Instagram and X.
This article originally appeared on Palm Springs Desert Sun: What California channels will keep Jimmy Kimmel off the air? Here’s the list
Reporting by James Powel and Ernesto Centeno Araujo, Palm Springs Desert Sun / Palm Springs Desert Sun
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