Copyright dailymail
Television giant Sinclair has announced it will again be airing Jimmy Kimmel Live! - after refusing to broadcast the program on its ABC affiliates for more than a week. The Maryland-based broadcaster announced the decision in a statement, saying the show will air on all of Sinclair's 38 ABC affiliates beginning Friday night. Kimmel's show was pulled from ABC airwaves on September 17 following the host's controversial comments about the suspected killer of Charlie Kirk. The network's parent company, Disney, made the decision to bring the show back on Tuesday. The announcement from Sinclair leaves Nexstar - another large TV operator with a total of 32 ABC affiliates - the only holdout. Kimmel took to the stage Tuesday for the first time since his show was suspended and proceeded to criticize Donald Trump. The episode drew more than 6 million viewers despite being unavailable for roughly a quarter of ABC affiliates across the country. The network has more than 230 local-level television stations scattered across the US. 'Over the last week, we have received thoughtful feedback from viewers, advertisers, and community leaders representing a wide range of perspectives,' Sinclair's statement read. '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. 'Our decision to preempt this program was independent of any government interaction or influence. 'Free speech provides broadcasters with the right to exercise judgement 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.' The statement made no mention of the apology the company had demanded Kimmel make to the Kirk family. It did state that executives at Sinclair had engaged in 'ongoing and constructive discussions with ABC' and 'proposed measures to strengthen accountability, viewer feedback, and community dialogue, including a network-wide independent ombudsman.' '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,' the statement read. CBS News recently appointed the head of a conservative think tank to serve as its ombudsman. The move, made earlier this month, came in response to claims of 'deceptive' editing practices from Trump and Homeland Security boss Kristi Noem. Sinclair had also asked for 'a meaningful personal donation' from Kimmel to Kirk's family and Turning Point USA, the late activist's media company. Kirk was killed on September 10 while speaking at a college campus in southern Utah. The next Monday, Kimmel said on-air: 'We hit 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 with everything they can to score political points from it.' The host proceeded to play a clip of Trump responding to a question about how he was coping with Kirk’s death to poke fun at the president's mourning process. He was reprimanded two days later by FCC boss Brendan Carr. During a conversation with conservative podcaster Benny Johnson, Carr urged affiliates to push back on ABC and Disney. He claimed he was considering an investigation into ABC over Kimmel's comments. Within hours, both Sinclair and Nexstar told Disney they would not air Kimmel's show. Disney, that day, decided to pull the show completely. The decision sparked protests and the Sacramento attack that Sinclair mentioned in its statement. The September 19 drive-by shooting saw three shots fired at ABC affiliate ABC10 (KXTV), which is owned by another broadcaster, Tegna. The FBI has since arrested a suspect in the case. No one was injured in the shooting. In August, Nexstar announced a planned $6.2billion acquisition of Tegna that would give the company - already the second largest of its kind - dozens more stations across the country. The deal requires FCC approval. Nexstar has yet to announce any changes to its 32 ABC affiliates' programming.
