Sinclair Broadcast Group revealed that it won’t air “Jimmy Kimmel Live!” on its ABC affiliate stations – despite Disney’s decision to bring back the late-night talk show beginning Tuesday.

“Beginning Tuesday night, Sinclair will be preempting ‘Jimmy Kimmel Live!‘ across our ABC affiliate stations and replacing it with news programming,” Sinclair, which has the nation’s largest number of the network’s affiliate stations, posted on X on Monday.

Sinclair ABC affiliate stations will be preempting “Jimmy Kimmel Live!” amid continued negotiations with ABC.

“Discussions with ABC are ongoing as we evaluate the show’s potential return,” the group announced.

Kimmel, whose show was pulled following his controversial comments about sla!n conservative activist Charlie Kirk, negotiated his return with Walt Disney Co. CEO Bob Iger and his No. 2, Disney Entertainment Co-Chair Dana Walden, sources with knowledge of the situation told The Post.

The $15 million-per-year late-night host will address his comments during a monologue on his return broadcast Tuesday, though he will stop short of apologizing for his remarks that Kirk’s alleged killer was part of the “MAGA gang,” sources said.

In a statement on Monday, Disney said it suspended Kimmel last Wednesday “to avoid further inflaming a tense situation at an emotional moment for our country,” calling some of his comments “ill-timed and thus insensitive.”

Sinclair had previously called on the talk show host to issue a “direct apology” to the Kirk family and make a donation to Turning Point USA, the conservative nonprofit co-founded by Kirk.

“Mr. Kimmel’s remarks were inappropriate and deeply insensitive at a critical moment for our country,” Vice Chairman Jason Smith said in a statement after Kimmel’s axing last week.

It is not yet clear whether Nexstar, which has 32 ABC affiliates, will follow in Sinclair’s footsteps to preempt the late-night talk show. Together, Sinclair and Nexstar affiliate stations make up a quarter of ABC’s reach to households, Deadline reported. Sinclair also owns ABC affiliate WJLA-TV, an influential flagship station in Washington DC.

But beyond the boardrooms and TV schedules, the real battle is playing out among viewers. On social media, furious fans accused Sinclair of censorship. “So now a giant corporation decides what late-night jokes I can or can’t watch? This is insane,” one viewer fumed on X. Another added, “I don’t even agree with Kimmel half the time, but pulling his show over this is a massive overreach.”

Still, not everyone was on Kimmel’s side. Critics cheered Sinclair’s decision, with one user writing: “Finally, someone holding Hollywood elites accountable. What Kimmel said about Kirk was heartless.” A Facebook commenter echoed that sentiment: “Disney is bending over backwards to protect him, but regular Americans are tired of the double standards.”

Meanwhile, some viewers simply expressed exhaustion with the escalating feud. “I just want my regular late-night lineup back. Enough politics—let’s move on,” one fan sighed.

With ABC caught in the crossfire, and affiliate groups like Sinclair and possibly Nexstar weighing their leverage, it’s clear Kimmel’s return will be anything but smooth. For now, his audience—and his critics—are waiting to see whether his first monologue back will calm the storm or pour gasoline on the fire

With tensions already sky-high, Jimmy Kimmel’s return is shaping up to be one of the most closely watched late-night moments in years. To some, he’s a victim of corporate censorship; to others, he’s a smug Hollywood millionaire finally facing consequences. One thing is certain: America is split right down the middle.

As Tuesday night approaches, millions will be tuning in—not just to hear Kimmel’s monologue, but to see whether the late-night host can survive a storm that has turned a comedy show into a national flashpoint.