ABC suspends Jimmy Kimmel Live after FCC chair Brendan Carr warns affiliates

ABC and Disney suspended production of Jimmy Kimmel Live on Sept 17, 2025; Disney announced the show's return for Sept 23, 2025.

FCC Chair Brendan Carr told a conservative podcast on Sept 17, 2025, that broadcasters 'have a license granted by us at the FCC, and that comes with it an obligation to operate in the public interest,' and he warned affiliates there could be 'additional work for the FCC ahead.'

Nexstar and Sinclair preempted Kimmel on many ABC affiliates; together they control about 70 ABC affiliates and roughly a quarter of ABC's national coverage.

The FCC licenses local broadcast stations, not television networks, and its content enforcement authority is limited to narrow categories such as obscenity and timed indecency rules.