If your ABC station is not airing Jimmy Kimmel Live!, you’re not out of luck. There are legitimate, legal ways to watch the monologue, the guest interviews and the music — even when your local broadcast schedule goes rogue.
Here’s a straightforward answer to what’s going on, why some markets are preempting the show and what alternatives work best.
Why some ABC stations aren’t airing the show
Not all ABC affiliates are owned by the parent company that owns ABC. Many are run by big station groups, and two of the largest, Nexstar and Sinclair, have chosen to preempt ‘Jimmy Kimmel Live!’ in several cities after backlash over comments Kimmel made, and a subsequent apology.
The two also own more than a quarter of ABC affiliates across the country, impacting many major designated market areas, including Washington, D.C., Seattle, Portland, and Nashville, according to Reuters. If your ABC affiliate is owned by one of these two groups, the slot may get preempted for alternate programming.
You can easily see who owns your local affiliate by doing a search on the Federal Communications Commission’s database, or you can use ABC’s station finder. If your station is listed as Nexstar or Sinclair, expect that preemptions may occur.
The quickest legal ways to watch the show now
- Stream on Hulu and Disney+. Next-day availability is subject to change. Fresh installments of Jimmy Kimmel Live! usually arrive the day after broadcast, so this is the easiest option if you’re being preempted locally. If you’re already a subscriber, just search for the show and start watching on demand.
- Sign in with your pay-TV credentials for on-demand. A number of cable and satellite providers offer next-day ABC on-demand episodes in the ABC app within a week after airing. If you have a standard cable package, check your set-top box’s on-demand section or the ABC app for the most recent episode.
- Catch official clips on YouTube. The verified show channel routinely uploads the full monologue, headline interviews, and musical guests. It isn’t a full episode, but it includes the segments most people share and discuss the morning after.
Will live TV streaming services make a difference?
Typically, no. Virtual cable bundles such as Hulu + Live TV, YouTube TV, Fubo, DirecTV Stream, and (in select markets) Sling deliver your local market channel feed based on where you are physically located. If your ABC station is preempting Jimmy Kimmel Live!, those preemptions will also be applied to those services.
Even if you are “traveling” digitally, services often verify your location and might limit access to out-of-market offerings. Leichtman Research Group estimates that some 18 million U.S. households now use these live TV streamers, but the kind of licensing that makes them feasible also hard-locks your local channels down to your DMA.
The takeaway: Live bundles are fine if you live in a market that offers the show; those won’t solve for local blackouts.
Over-the-air options and using adjacent TV markets
An antenna isn’t going to supersede a preemption by your local ABC. But if you are near the border of a DMA, a good outdoor or attic antenna could grab an ABC station from an adjacent and not preempting market. You can use tools from the FCC and from antenna planners to give you an idea of whether or not a nearby station is realistically within reach.
It’s not foolproof — terrain, distance and the power of the transmitter all make a difference — but for viewers at the edges of a media market, it can be a clean, entirely legal workaround that saves live viewing without requiring a subscription.
About VPNs and other bypasses for location blackouts
While the use of a VPN to pretend you’re in another city may sound like an easy workaround, most major streamers are versed at spotting and blocking that behavior. The technology isn’t illegal, per se, but circumventing geographic licensing violates terms of service and can generate error messages or account suspensions. It’s unreliable and not recommended.
There are also risks with unofficial streams or uploads, from malware to takedowns. The proper choices listed above — next-day on Hulu or Disney+, official clips on YouTube, or, if possible, an antenna pointed at a neighboring market — are safer and better quality.
Bottom line: the simplest, reliable ways to watch the show
If your ABC station is not showing Jimmy Kimmel Live!, the safest bet is next-day streaming on Hulu or Disney+, with official YouTube clips rounding up the highlights in the meantime. Live TV streaming services won’t solve a local blackout, but an over-the-air setup may help you watch the show if you can receive an unaffected neighboring ABC station. Inform yourself on your station’s ownership, pick the path that fits your setup, and no punchline will pass you by.