Jon Stewart Celebrates Jimmy Kimmel’s Return — but Sinclair Shakes Things Up by Replacing the Show

The official return of Jimmy Kimmel Live! on September 23, after nearly a week of suspension, has become one of the most discussed topics on social media. Fans were relieved, and many celebrities also weighed in on the host’s comeback. Among the loudest voices was Jon Stewart, who had a witty and heartfelt reaction on The Daily Show that immediately went viral.

On air, Stewart opened with a trademark late-night joke:

“In other ABC news — Jimmy Kimmel is coming back to television! I’ll tell you, Jimmy’s flying high like Advil today.”

But Stewart didn’t stop at a joke. He went on to endorse the grassroots online campaign that asked viewers to cancel their Hulu and Disney+ subscriptions in protest, putting pressure on Disney (ABC’s parent company) to bring Kimmel back on air.

“Let me be serious for a second: that campaign you all launched — pretending to cancel Hulu while secretly binging all four seasons of Only Murders in the Building — it actually worked. Congratulations. Maybe this is the moment we all realize how deeply Disney is entangled in our daily lives.”

Disney officially confirmed on September 22 that Jimmy Kimmel Live! would resume airing the following night. In their press statement, they said the initial decision to suspend the show was made to “avoid inflaming tensions during an emotional moment for the country.” They added that they had “thoughtful conversations with Jimmy” before deciding to bring the show back.

However, not every network was ready to jump back on board. Sinclair Broadcast Group — which owns a large number of ABC affiliates as well as stations affiliated with NBC, CBS, and Fox — announced that it would not be airing Jimmy Kimmel Live! on its stations for the time being.

In a post on X (formerly Twitter) on September 22, Sinclair wrote:

“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.”

Industry insiders say the move was aimed at appeasing conservative viewers who had criticized Kimmel’s comments about the death of political commentator Charlie Kirk. As part of their response, Sinclair said they would run a special news segment honoring Kirk during the time slot normally occupied by Kimmel’s show.

In addition to replacing the show, Sinclair asked Kimmel to issue a public apology and make a donation to Charlie Kirk’s family as well as Turning Point USA. In the same statement, the company made its position crystal clear:

“Regardless of ABC’s plans for the future of the program, Sinclair intends not to return Jimmy Kimmel Live! to our air until we are confident that appropriate steps have been taken to uphold the standards expected of a national broadcast platform.”

This decision means that while Disney may have reinstated Kimmel’s show, it will still face distribution challenges. Sinclair-owned stations cover a significant portion of the U.S. market, and the move could cut into the show’s live viewership numbers in key regions.

Meanwhile, support for Kimmel continues to pour in online. Fellow late-night hosts such as Stephen Colbert, Jimmy Fallon, Seth Meyers, and Jon Stewart, as well as actors like Mark Ruffalo, have publicly criticized the suspension and called it an attack on free speech. Fans flooded social media with messages after Kimmel’s tearful monologue in his first episode back, with many saying his emotional reaction showed just how deeply the controversy affected him.

As of now, Kimmel has not released any public statement on his personal social media accounts about the suspension or Sinclair’s decision. This silence has sparked curiosity about how he will address the issue in upcoming episodes — whether he will continue to tackle controversial topics head-on or take a more cautious approach to avoid further backlash.

The controversy highlights much more than just one late-night host’s return. It reflects the growing tension between media conglomerates, political groups, and the viewing public over the limits of free speech in the digital era. Disney’s decision to reinstate the show, Sinclair’s refusal to air it, and the online firestorm have turned Jimmy Kimmel Live! into the centerpiece of a much larger cultural debate about the role of media in an increasingly polarized society.