Sinclair is putting Jimmy Kimmel back on the air on its 38 ABC TV stations, after preempting his late-night TV show in protest over Kimmel’s comments about Charlie Kirk’s killer.
Sinclair said in a statement Friday that it will end its preemption of Jimmy Kimmel Live! and the show will return this evening on Sinclair’s ABC affiliates.
“Our objective throughout this process has been to ensure that programming remains accurate and engaging for the widest possible audience. We take seriously our responsibility as local broadcasters to provide programming that serves the interests of our communities, while also honoring our obligations to air national network programming,” Sinclair said.
“Over the last week, we have received thoughtful feedback from viewers, advertisers, and community leaders representing a wide range of perspectives. We have also witnessed troubling acts of violence, including the despicable incident of a shooting at an ABC affiliate station in Sacramento. These events underscore why responsible broadcasting matters and why respectful dialogue between differing voices remains so important.
The company continued: “In our ongoing and constructive discussions with ABC, Sinclair proposed measures to strengthen accountability, viewer feedback, and community dialogue, including a network-wide independent ombudsman. These proposals were suggested as collaborative efforts between the ABC affiliates and the ABC network. While ABC and Disney have not yet adopted these measures, and Sinclair respects their right to make those decisions under our network affiliate agreements, we believe such measures could strengthen trust and accountability. Our decision to preempt this program was independent of any government interaction or influence. Free speech provides broadcasters with the right to exercise judgment as to the content on their local stations. While we understand that not everyone will agree with our decisions about programming, it is simply inconsistent to champion free speech while demanding that broadcasters air specific content.”
“As a company rooted in local stations, Sinclair remains committed to serving our communities with programming that reflects their priorities, earns their trust, and promotes constructive dialogue. We look forward to continuing to work with ABC to deliver content that serves a broad spectrum of our communities.”
The reversal comes after Sinclair announced Sept. 17 that it would preempt Kimmel’s show indefinitely, following remarks the host said on his show two days prior about “the MAGA gang” trying to score political points over the suspect charged with the murder of conservative activist Kirk. Shortly afterward another large station group, Nexstar, also said it was pulling “Jimmy Kimmel Live!” from its ABC affiliates. The two station groups’ announcements came after FCC chairman Brendan Carr threatened to pursue “news distortion” complaints against ABC stations unless Kimmel were fired.
Nexstar’s decision to black out Kimmel was widely seen as an attempt to get in Carr’s good graces, as it has some immediate business before the agency. In August, Nexstar announced an agreement to acquire Tegna for $6.2 billion, a deal that requires FCC approval; the company has denied Carr’s threats influenced its decision to yank Kimmel on the air.
Also on Sept. 17, ABC said “Jimmy Kimmel Live!” would be suspended “indefinitely.” Disney brought Kimmel back on Tuesday, Sept. 23, with the show delivering boffo TV ratings to rank as its highest-rated episode ever even with the Sinclair and Nexstar boycotts.
In a Sept. 17 statement, Andrew Alford, president of Nexstar’s broadcasting division, had said: “Mr. Kimmel’s comments about the death of Mr. Kirk are offensive and insensitive at a critical time in our national political discourse, and we do not believe they reflect the spectrum of opinions, views, or values of the local communities in which we are located. Continuing to give Mr. Kimmel a broadcast platform in the communities we serve is simply not in the public interest at the current time, and we have made the difficult decision to preempt his show in an effort to let cooler heads prevail as we move toward the resumption of respectful, constructive dialogue.”
In its Sept. 17 statement, Sinclair said that before it will consider bringing Kimmel back on the air, the host must apologize to Kirk’s family and send “a meaningful personal donation” to them as well as Turning Point USA, the organization Kirk founded — demands that seem like nonstarters for the Kimmel and Disney camps.
Irving, Texas-based Nexstar has 32 ABC-affiliated stations (23 are owned by the company and nine are partner stations it provide services to under joint operating agreements).
Nexstar’s ABC-affiliated stations include KTVX (Salt Lake City), WGNO (New Orleans), WTEN (Albany, N.Y.), WSYR (Syracuse, N.Y.), WKRN (Nashville, Tenn.), WATE (Knoxville, Tenn.), WOTV (Battle Creek, Mich.), WHTM (Harrisburg, Pa.), WRIC (Richmond, Va.), WJGF (Augusta, Ga.), KTKA (Topeka, Kan.) and WTNH (Hartford-New Haven, Conn.).