ALBANY – “Jimmy Kimmel Live!” is coming back to WTEN-Channel 10 and the other ABC stations owned by Nexstar after the media company announced it was ending its boycott of the late-night talk show.
The Nexstar Media Group made the announcement hours after Sinclair Broadcast Group announced it was ending its own boycott of the show.
The show will be back on at 11:35 p.m. Friday.
Nexstar and Sinclair declined to broadcast the show after ABC announced the show would return to the air on Tuesday. The two companies own nearly 80 ABC affiliates.
ABC has about 242 affiliated stations around the country and owns eight of its own.
Nexstar didn’t offer a specific explanation for the change of heart, but said the company had been in discussions with ABC-owner Disney and “appreciate their constructive approach to addressing our concerns.”
Kimmel returned to high ratings with ABC reporting nearly 6.3 million people tuned in to his return broadcast, despite the Nexstar and Sinclair blackouts in many cities.
Related: Kimmel is back on ABC to big ratings, but some affiliates still refuse to air his show
More: In Jimmy Kimmel’s words: What the late-night host said upon his return from suspension
Nexstar was one of two companies that announced last week the show would be pulled over remarks Kimmel made about the conservative reaction to Charlie Kirk in the wake of the pundit’s Sept. 10 assassination at Utah Valley University in Orem, Utah.
Sinclair owns the local CBS affiliate WRGB-Channel 6. Nexstar owns 32 ABC affiliates and Sinclair owns nearly 40.
ABC suspended Kimmel “indefinitely” on Sept. 17 after comments he made about Kirk in a monologue. Kimmel said, “The MAGA Gang (is) desperately trying to characterize this kid who murdered Charlie Kirk as anything other than one of them and doing everything they can to score political points from it.”
The motives of the alleged shooter are not yet fully understood. He was raised in a conservative household. According to Utah court records, his mother told investigators that over the last year or so, Robinson had become more political and had started to lean more to the left – becoming more pro-gay and trans-rights oriented. She said that Robinson eventually began to date his roommate, who is transgender. This resulted in several discussions with family members, but especially between Robinson and his father, who have very different political views. Robinson isn’t affiliated with a political party and is listed as inactive in voting records, the Associated Press reported.
Kimmel’s remarks prompted backlash from conservative circles and what many saw as a threat from FCC chairman Brendan Carr, a staunch ally of President Donald J. Trump, who suggested that stations carrying Kimmel’s show could face official sanction if they failed to push back on ABC, which also owns stations whose broadcast licenses could be imperiled by the federal agency.
Nexstar needs FCC approval for its planned merger with Tegna, another large broadcast group – a circumstance that was not lost on those who saw Carr’s comments as improper government pressure on private companies.
Kimmel has hosted “Jimmy Kimmel Live!” on ABC since 2003 and has been a fixture in television and comedy for even longer. He is also well-known as a presenter, having hosted the Academy Awards four times.
Kimmel’s show can be streamed on DirecTV, Hulu + Live TV and Fubo.
Associated Press reports were used in this article.
‘ The preceding article may include information circulated by third parties ’
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