(NEW HAVEN—WTIC News) After a national campaign pressured ABC to reinstate late night talk show host Jimmy Kimmel, protestors have turned their attention to broadcast companies Nexstar and Sinclair, which are still refusing to air the program despite its return to most ABC affiliates Tuesday.
A few dozen protestors showed up outside Connecticut’s WTNH Channel 8 on Thursday, calling on WTNH parent company Nexstar to resume broadcasting Kimmel’s program on Ch. 8 and its other ABC affiliates.
They’re suspicious that the Trump Administration, frustrated by Kimmel’s persistent criticism of the famously sensitive president, is leaning on Nexstar to keep the show off the air, knowing that Nexstar needs the approval of the Trump FCC to complete a valuable merger that’s been agreed to.
“We live in the United States of America,” said protestor Gemeem Davis of Bridgeport. “We have the right to say what we want, when we want and how we want. We most certainly do not need to have corporations censoring our free speech.”
ABC reinstated Kimmel after pulling him off air last week under pressure from FCC chairman and fervent Trump supporter Brendan Carr. During a monologue leading to the ABC suspension, Kimmel made remarks accusing Trump supporters of trying to “score political points” off the murder of conservative activist Charlie Kirk—and assessing how President Trump reacted to the murder.
The protestors are concerned about White House involvement in chilling free speech. “We’re extremely concerned that what we see is government attempting to punish personal enemies,” said Liz DuPont-Diehl of the Connecticut Citizen Action Group, “and extending that vindictiveness and lawlessness into one of our most sacred and important institutions, and that is a free press.”
They also believe the action to stifle Kimmel’s speech is an example of a wider White House effort to curtail civil liberties. “We’ve seen museums are being told they have to take down exhibits because of DEI,” said Paula Panzarella of New Haven. “People are being erased out of history in the Library of Congress, their books being removed. Schools are being told what books can and can’t be in their libraries.”
While Nexstar says it will “monitor” the program it continues to preempt, the company says it’s engaged in “productive discussions” with ABC owner Disney.
In the meantime, Jimmy Kimmel Live! is not available on WTNH and other Nexstar-owned ABC affiliates, but it is available to central Connecticut viewers on Disney streaming services and YouTube.