YOUNGSTOWN — Jimmy Kimmel was back on the air in many media markets Tuesday night, but Youngstown was not one of them.

Just a day after Disney and ABC’s announcements that the late-night host would return after a week-long suspension, WKBN and WYTV owner Nexstar Media stated it would continue to preempt the show’s airing on its networks.

“We made a decision last week to preempt ‘Jimmy Kimmel Live!’ following what ABC referred to as Mr. Kimmel’s “ill-timed and insensitive” comments at a critical time in our national discourse,” the network said in a statement on its website. “We stand by that decision pending assurance that all parties are committed to fostering an environment of respectful, constructive dialogue in the markets we serve.”

ABC pulled Kimmel from the air after he criticized President Donald Trump and other conservative voices in the wake of the Sept. 10 deadly shooting of Turning Point USA President and CEO and arch-conservative podcaster Charlie Kirk.

In the immediate aftermath of the shooting, Kimmel posted comments on X decrying Kirk’s murder and expressing sympathy for his family, and voiced similar feelings on his show.

“I’ve seen a lot of extraordinarily vile responses to this from both sides of the political spectrum. Some people are cheering this, which is something I won’t ever understand,” he said.

But last week, Kimmel landed in hot water.

“We had some new lows over the weekend with the MAGA gang 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,” he said Sept. 14.

Kirk’s alleged killer, Tyler Robinson, 22, of Utah, comes from a conservative Republican and Mormon family. However, the man’s motivations have not yet been made clear. Some sources alleged he is a “groyper” — a follower of ultra-conservative podcaster Nick Fuentes — while others claim he had recently become more progressive and supportive of gay and transgender rights. The investigation into the shooting and Robinson’s motives is ongoing.

On Sept. 17, Disney and ABC suspended Kimmel’s show after Nexstar and competitor Sinclair Broadcasting Group stated they would preempt the show’s airing.

Kimmel had not been on the air since, until returning on Tuesday.

Immediately after the show was pulled, Kimmel fans, Trump critics, free speech advocates and others began canceling their Disney+ subscriptions and otherwise boycotting the company and Disney reportedly lost more than $3.7 billion in stock value in a week’s time.

“Last Wednesday, we made the decision to suspend production on the show to avoid further inflaming a tense situation at an emotional moment for our country,” read a statement from Disney. “It is a decision we made because we felt some of the comments were ill-timed and thus insensitive. We have spent the last few days having thoughtful conversations with Jimmy, and after those conversations, we reached the decision to return the show on Tuesday.”

“Disney and ABC caving and allowing Kimmel back on the air is not surprising, but it’s their mistake to make. Nexstar and Sinclair do not have to make the same choice,” Andrew Kolvert, a spokesperson for Kirk’s organization, Turning Point USA, said in a post on X.

Anonymous sources said the newsrooms at WKBN-TV 27, the local CBS affiliate, and WYTV-TV 33, the local ABC affiliate, have received angry calls and emails about “Jimmy Kimmel Live! ” from conservative and liberal Valley residents, but 27 / 33 news director Jason Vinkler said the stations cannot make any statements about the matter.

He directed questions to Gary Weitmann, executive vice president and chief communication office for Nexstar. Weitmann did not respond to a call and email from the newspaper on Tuesday.

However, in an Associated Press story, Sinclair said it will run news programming in that time slot while it continues discussions with ABC and evaluates the show’s “potential return.” Nexstar said it is seeking “assurances that all parties are committed to fostering an environment of respectful, constructive dialogue in the markets we serve.”

The BBC has noted that Nexstar is in the process of acquiring the broadcasting company TEGNA in a $6.2 billion dollar deal that is still pending FCC approval.

Marlene Braunlich of Canfield said she believes that is why the company is refusing to air the show.

“They are bending over for Trump, so the FCC will approve a merger with TEGNA. Nexstar wants to own even more local TV stations to censor what vast numbers of Americans see for ‘news’ and entertainment,” she said. “Nexstar does not stand for journalistic integrity, it does not uphold its promises to offer differing opinions. The FCC should deny this merger.”

Braunlich said it is upsetting that Nexstar owns two of Youngstown’s three primary stations.

Nexstar’s statement notes that Kimmel will be available nationwide on multiple Disney-owned streaming platforms, “while our stations will focus on continuing to produce local news and other programming relevant to their respective markets.”