Stephen Colbert Just Enraged CBS Station Owners with His Support of Jimmy Kimmel Comments: Will They Drop Him Too?

Stephen Colbert may have gone too far in his defense of Jimmy Kimmel. 

On September 17, 2025, Nexstar Media Group announced that all its ABC-affiliated stations would Preempt Jimmy Kimmel Live! indefinitely, objecting to a monologue by Kimmel in which he falsely stated that the killer of Charlie Kirk was a MAGA supporter. This is not supported by law enforcement, the family of the accused, nor allegedly by the accused himself.

For a nation in mourning after a gruesome political assassination like not seen since the 1960s, it was too much. Audiences were incensed by a claim that was akin to claiming an MLK supporter had killed him rather than James Earl Ray. It was an act of blaming the victim, gaslighting Americans and the creation of a false narrative.

Charlie Kirk on his YouTube channel – YouTube, Charlie Kirk

READ: Jimmy Kimmel Planned “Very Hot” Monologue Targeting Trump Supporters Before Disney Pulled the Plug — Iger and Walden Said No

Sinclair Broadcast Group followed, similarly pulling Kimmel’s show from its ABC outlets. Sinclair demanded a public apology and formal discussions with ABC over “broadcast standards and accountability.”

ABC (a Disney entity) then suspended Jimmy Kimmel Live! indefinitely, citing the backlash and affiliate pressure. Although politicians and influencers have asserted it was due to FCC pressure, there seems to be no direct evidence and the station affiliates have denied it outright.

Stephen Colbert on The Late Show With Stephen Colbert – YouTube, The Late Show With Stephen Colbert

Now, after Stephen Colbert came to his already-canceled CBS show and supported not only Jimmy Kimmel but also his quote (seemingly)… there’s significant concern that those same affiliates may preempt his content on CBS as well.

In other words, Colbert may not make it to the end of his last season!

Wow…Stephen Colbert declares- ‘We are all Jimmy Kimmel’😠 Seriously?

Okay- if you’re more upset over Jimmy Kimmel’s show being pulled because he knowingly and unapologetically violated FCC guidelines by lying to the American public about the assassination of Charlie Kirk- than… pic.twitter.com/JBDAFHUVkl

— Steph Anie (@mynerdyhome) September 19, 2025

An important dimension is that both Sinclair and Nexstar do not own just ABC affiliates; they also own a significant number of CBS affiliates. Some key evidence:

• Sinclair owns many CBS affiliate stations — for example, KUTV in Salt Lake City, Utah; KGAN in Cedar Rapids, Iowa; KBOI in Boise, Idaho; and KLEW in Lewiston, Idaho.

• Corporate‐profiles of Sinclair show that among its owned/operated stations are affiliates of all the major broadcast networks, including CBS.

• Nexstar similarly owns stations affiliated with multiple networks; while the current news focuses on its ABC stations pulling Kimmel, its portfolio includes large CBS affiliates as well.

Stephen Colbert speaks at the 2025 Emmys – YouTube, Television Academy

Earlier in 2025, CBS announced that The Late Show with Stephen Colbert would end after its 11th season. Officially the reason given was “financial” rather than content. Many observers, though, noted the timing and context, including Colbert’s public criticisms of political and corporate actors, raising questions about whether content had played a role.

Given that Sinclair and Nexstar own CBS affiliates as well (and thus could exert similar pressure or make similar preemptive decisions), the revelation that they pulled Kimmel from ABC affiliates raises questions about whether or not they’ll do the same for Colbert after his comments on Thursday. Indeed, market pressure is building from majorities around the country to stop the disparagement of Charlie Kirk, a man who was killed by a deranged individual who despised what Kirk had to say.

Stephen Colbert Delivers a Monologue on The Late Show – YouTube, The Late Show With Stephen Colbert

While there is no direct evidence yet that Sinclair or Nexstar are planning to preempt The Late Show in their CBS stations, the circumstances make it a plausible concern:

• Colbert has already expressed that the ending of The Late Show felt to many like a reaction to his critique of Paramount (CBS’s parent company), especially around legal settlements and political pressure.

• Kimmel’s removal (or suspension) shows that affiliates are willing to act preemptively against network programming when the market demands such due to grotesque, false narrative generation from celebrity hosts. 

• In markets where CBS affiliates are owned by Sinclair or Nexstar, the local station bosses might feel pressure (political, regulatory, or from advertisers/viewers) to distance themselves from what they consider controversial content.

The preemption of Jimmy Kimmel Live! by Nexstar and Sinclair is more than just another late-night controversy. It reveals a powerful lever that affiliate owners have over national programming, rarely used but now coming to a head with unprecedented and vitriolic statements during a national tragedy. With The Late Show with Stephen Colbert already canceled (officially for financial reasons), the parallels are hard to ignore.

A screenshot of Jimmy Kimmel crying on TV after the election of Donald Trump – YouTube, Jimmy Kimmel Live

While there’s no proof yet that Sinclair or Nexstar will similarly preempt Colbert’s material in CBS-owned stations before the show’s final season ends, the pattern suggests it’s a real possibility. For viewers, content creators, and media watchdogs, the question becomes: how long before network ethics are forced into a correction by the affiliates across America?

Do you think Colbert may have gone too far in his defense of Jimmy Kimmel? Sound off in the comments and let us know!

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