Nexstar Led the Charge Against Jimmy Kimmel. They Had a Business Motive.

"There are many household names in the corporate media landscape, conglomerations like News Corp or Comcast that control the world's flow of information and entertainment. But Americans are learning a new one this week in Nexstar, which led the charge to kick Jimmy Kimmel off television.On Wednesday night, after Jimmy Kimmel Live! was pulled from ABC indefinitely for the host's comments about the assassinated conservative broadcaster Charlie Kirk, reports emerged that Nexstar had decided to cut the show from the 32 ABC stations it owns. With the pressure on from Nexstar - and potential retribution coming from President Trump's FCC - ABC then decided to cut Kimmel's late-night show entirely."

"The comment in question came on Monday night, when Kimmel said that the "MAGA Gang [is] desperately trying to characterize this kid who murdered Charlie Kirk as anything other than one of them and doing everything they can to score political points from it." Only "in between the finger-pointing, there was grieving," he added. In a statement, Nexstar's president of broadcasting wrote that Kimmel's comments were "offensive and insensitive" and do not reflect the "values of the local communities in which we are located." As criticism mounts over the decision to bend to President Trump's campaign to silence voices critical of Kirk and his administration at large, people are looking at the political motivations of the largest owner of individual news stations in the country Past campaign contributions show a general rightward lean for the company, whose affiliated donors gave just under $125,000 to the Republican National Committee in 2024."

Nexstar leveraged ownership of 32 ABC stations to pressure ABC into pulling Jimmy Kimmel Live! after Kimmel's remarks about the assassination of conservative broadcaster Charlie Kirk. Kimmel accused a MAGA-aligned group of attempting to politicize the killing while acknowledging grieving between finger-pointing. Nexstar's broadcasting president called the remarks offensive and inconsistent with local community values. The decision prompted criticism that Nexstar bowed to President Trump’s campaign to silence critics. Nexstar's past donations show a rightward tilt, and the company has grown through acquisitions to operate over 200 local stations.

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