Overview

• ABC and Disney have suspended Jimmy Kimmel Live! indefinitely, and major station groups Nexstar and Sinclair say they will preempt the show for the foreseeable future.
• Variety reporting cited by multiple outlets says Kimmel and Disney/ABC are negotiating conditions for a possible return, with no agreement assured.
• President Trump reiterated that overwhelmingly negative TV coverage of him is “really illegal” and defended FCC Chair Brendan Carr, who has suggested potential regulatory action against ABC and other programs.
• Critics across the political spectrum have raised alarms about government influence over broadcast content, with Sen. Ted Cruz calling Carr’s approach “dangerous as hell” and Democrats, including Chuck Schumer, urging accountability.
• Industry voices and unions condemned the suspension as a free‑speech chill, with former Disney CEO Michael Eisner and Bill Maher backing Kimmel, protests drawing crowds in Burbank, and an unrelated shooting at an ABC affiliate’s lobby in Sacramento under investigation.