Overview

• ABC has kept Jimmy Kimmel Live off schedules “indefinitely,” with Disney and Kimmel meeting last week and planning further talks that have yet to produce an agreement.
• FCC Chair Brendan Carr warned broadcasters to “take action” on Kimmel or face a “hard way,” and within hours Nexstar announced preemptions followed by ABC’s suspension.
• Sinclair says it will not carry the program again without an apology and a donation, and Nexstar is replacing the show across its ABC affiliates.
• Legal experts say Kimmel could pursue a First Amendment claim if he can show government coercion led to the suspension, though proving causation would be challenging.
• Pushback intensified as John Oliver urged Disney+ and Hulu cancellations and Howard Stern canceled his Disney+ subscription, while President Trump celebrated the suspension and Republicans Rand Paul and Ted Cruz criticized the FCC pressure.