Sinclair, Nexstar put ‘Jimmy Kimmel Live!’ back on ABC affiliates after boycott

The Kimmel comeback is complete.

Television station group Sinclair announced it will put “Jimmy Kimmel Live!” back on the air Friday on its nearly 40 ABC affiliates, while fellow station group Nexstar announced Kimmel’s show will return to its 32 ABC-affiliated stations, Variety reported.

Both groups boycotted the late-night talk show over comments Kimmel made Sept. 15 about the killing of political activist Charlie Kirk. Kimmel’s remarks did not center on Kirk but rather on President Donald Trump, a Kirk ally, and on what Kimmel called the president’s “MAGA gang” of supporters for their response to Kirk’s death.

ABC suspended the show Sept. 17, only to bring it back Tuesday. San Antonio ABC affiliate, KSAT, resumed airing the show at 10:35 p.m. Tuesday in its regular time slot.

As Variety noted, Kimmel’s return to all U.S. markets is a victory for ABC and parent company Disney, which got buried in mounds of public and professional criticism for appearing to capitulate to the Trump administration to take Kimmel off the air.

Disney was targeted with protests and consumer threats to boycott its services (i.e., by canceling Disney+) as well as criticism from Hollywood guilds and others for the perception it wasn’t standing up for First Amendment rights, Variety reported.

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Sinclair and Nexstar each issued statements Friday citing free speech and the First Amendment for their respective reversals.

“Our decision to preempt this program was independent of any government interaction or influence,” Sinclair said in its statement. “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 local broadcaster, Nexstar remains committed to protecting the First Amendment while producing and airing local and national news that is fact-based and unbiased and, above all, broadcasting content that is in the best interest of the communities we serve,” Nexstar said in its statement. “We stand apart from cable television, monolithic streaming services, and national networks in our commitment – and obligation – to be stewards of the public airwaves and to protect and reflect the specific sensibilities of our communities.”

Kimmel returned Tuesday with an emotional monologue on his show, which as of Friday had nearly 22 million views on YouTube. The return also saw record ratings despite the initial Sinclair-Nexstar blackout, Variety reported.

“It was never my intention to make light of the murder of a young man,” Kimmel said. “I don’t think there’s anything funny about it. I posted a message on Instagram on the day he was killed, sending love to his family and asking for compassion, and I meant it. And I still do.”