“Jimmy Kimmel Live!” is set to return to Sinclair Broadcasting’s airwaves on Friday evening as the company is ending its preemption of the show from its 38 ABC affiliate stations.
“Our objective throughout this process has been to ensure that programming remains accurate and engaging for the widest possible audience,” Sinclair said in a lengthy statement. “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.”
The agreement with Disney comes after Sinclair received “thoughtful feedback” from viewers, advertisers and community leaders over the last week representing a “wide range of perspectives.” It also follows a shooting at a Sacramento ABC affiliate, which Sinclair called a “troubling” and “despicable” incident.
“These events underscore why responsible broadcasting matters and why respectful dialogue between differing voices remains so important,” the company said.
The late night host was indefinitely pulled from Sinclair and Nexstar Media Group’s stations last week over comments he made about Charlie Kirk’s alleged assassin.
At the time, Sinclair slammed the remarks as “inappropriate and deeply insensitive at a critical moment for our country” and said Kimmel’s suspension was “not enough.” They demanded that Kimmel apologize and make a “meaningful personal donation” to the Kirk family and Turning Point USA. It also called for “formal discussions” with ABC regarding “the network’s commitment to professionalism and accountability.”
Following Nexstar and Sinclair, ABC pulled Kimmel from its own airwaves in order to “avoid further inflaming a tense situation at an emotional moment for our country,” adding that some of his comments were “ill-timed and thus insensitive.” That move would trigger protests from writers and union members, calls to cancel Disney+, Hulu and ESPN+ subscriptions and an open letter from the American Civil Liberties Union signed by over 400 artists condemning the suspension.
But after “thoughtful conversations” with Kimmel, a decision was reached for “Jimmy Kimmel Live!” to return on Tuesday. However, Sinclair and Nexstar both continued to preempt the show as discussions with ABC about Kimmel’s potential return were ongoing. As of the time of publication, the show remains preempted on Nexstar’s ABC affiliate stations.
A spokesperson for Disney declined to comment on the Sinclair deal, while a Nexstar spokesperson did not immediately return TheWrap’s request for comment on the status of its ongoing talks with ABC.
In its “ongoing and constructive” discussions with ABC, Sinclair said it 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,” the statement continued. “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.”
An insider familiar with the discussions tells TheWrap that no editorial or content concessions were made.
Sinclair also pushed back against allegations that its decision to pull “Jimmy Kimmel Live!” was due to pressure from Federal Communications Commission chairman Brendan Carr as it undergoes a strategic review of its broadcast business, emphasizing it 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,” Sinclair said. “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 company said that it remains committed to serving its 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 statement concluded.
