Jimmy Kimmel Show Returns Amid Consumer Pressure and Affiliate Blackouts

The revival of Jimmy Kimmel’s late-night show demonstrates how consumers can push back against political pressure. Credit: Randy Holmes/Disney.

The clash between freedom of speech and free-market principles has flared up around Jimmy Kimmel: his show has become a hot topic in both politics and business. This week, the show’s revival partly resulted from consumer pushback that did not go unnoticed by advertisers and employers.

Feedback from angry viewers, cautious advertisers, and disappointed employees pressured management, which ultimately decided to bring the show back on the air despite threatening remarks by President Trump.

This week’s drama was a testament to the ‘extraordinary power’ of consumers – as former Labor Secretary Robert Reich wrote in his essay.

When our outrage translates into withholding our consumer dollars, a large corporation like Disney is forced to listen – and respond,

Even after Disney revived the show on Tuesday, two large local media groups declined to air the program on numerous ABC stations. Yet both companies, Sinclair and Nexstar, eventually reached a compromise on Friday.

Such an unusual blackout underscored the long-standing tension between local affiliates and national networks, as well as the limited ability of affiliates to influence content within the region.

Relationships are governed by affiliation agreements. While local owners can choose to carry or skip certain programs at the national level, such “right of refusal” is typically one-off and not tied to politically charged protests.

For example, a sustained refusal of “Jimmy Kimmel Live!” could push Disney to evaluate its legal options and seek new affiliate partners in altered local markets.

Impact on the local market and public opinion

After Disney revived Kimmel, critics pointed to the significant impact of consumer pressure – from people on the streets to advertisers who refused to buy ads on Nexstar- and Sinclair-affiliated stations.

I had no idea about this before. Honestly, I thought: who is Nexstar? This is a lesson for all of us.

Journalists and editorial teams at some stations felt like “foot soldiers” in the political battle, as they had to prepare longer late-evening newscasts to fill the late-night time slot, not focusing on Kimmel-related news.

We have seen the power of the people over the past few days – it spoke loudly, and it influenced the decision in the right direction.

In sum, media market experts noted that this episode demonstrates the real limits of influence of local affiliated stations and the ability of consumers to shape content beyond the center of power.