Airing

Sinclair says it will resume airing Jimmy Kimmel Live! on its local affiliate stations beginning Friday, ending a nine-day suspension of the show.

The conservative media group, which owns 38 local TV stations across the country, initially pulled Kimmel’s late-night show off the air last Wednesday following comments he made about the murder of Charlie Kirk. The action taken by Sinclair, along with fellow affiliate group Nexstar—widely believed to have been in response to pressure from FCC Chairman Brendan Carr—prompted ABC to temporarily suspend Jimmy Kimmel Live!.

When Kimmel returned to the air this past Tuesday night, Sinclair still refused to air the show, demanding that Kimmel issue an apology and make “a meaningful personal donation” to both Kirk’s family and his political group, Turning Point USA. They also demanded “formal discussions” with ABC regarding the network’s “commitment to professionalism and accountability.”

While Kimmel was certainly contrite during his first monologue back, he never issued a full-throated apology for his comments, nor is there any evidence that he made a donation to Kirk’s family or Turning Point USA. And in its statement announcing Kimmel’s return on Friday, Sinclair admitted that its proposals suggested to ABC and Disney had not been adopted.

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Nevertheless, Sinclair has reversed course and says it will no longer preempt Jimmy Kimmel Live! come Friday evening.

Sinclair’s statement in full:

“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.

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.

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.”