Nexstar's ABC affiliates will keep Jimmy Kimmel show off the air for now

Nexstar Media Group said Tuesday that the ABC stations it owns and partners with will not resume airing "Jimmy Kimmel Live!" even as Disney brings the program back nationally."We made a decision last week to preempt 'Jimmy Kimmel Live!' following what ABC referred to as Mr.

Nexstar Media Group said Tuesday that the ABC stations it owns and partners with will not resume airing "Jimmy Kimmel Live!" even as Disney brings the program back nationally.

"We made a decision last week to preempt 'Jimmy Kimmel Live!' following what ABC referred to as Mr. Kimmel’s 'ill-timed and insensitive' comments at a critical time in our national discourse," the company said in a news release. "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's announcement adds to Sinclair, another major local TV operator, which said Monday that it would not air Kimmel's show.

Together, Nexstar and Sinclair account for more than 50 ABC affiliates, meaning Kimmel's return will not be available over broadcast to tens of millions in the U.S.

Those decisions come after a week of tumult for Disney and its ABC network. Last week, Disney pulled Kimmel's late-night show from its line-up “indefinitely” after Kimmel criticized some Republicans for how they were responding to conservative commentator Charlie Kirk’s killing.