Sinclair has ended its preemption of Jimmy Kimmel Live!, announcing the show will resume airing on its ABC affiliates Friday night, Sept. 26.
In a statement, the company said, “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.”
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Sinclair owns more than 30 ABC affiliates across the country, including those in major cities such as Seattle, St. Louis, Portland, Oregon, Columbus, Ohio, Birmingham, Alabama, and Washington, D.C. The broadcast group was the second to announce it would preempt Kimmel — following Nexstar — which led ABC to suspend the show entirely.
The uproar was centered around conservative outcry over a joke Kimmel told last week about the suspect accused of shooting Charlie Kirk. Donald Trump’s Federal Communications Commission chairman, Brendan Carr, then said in a podcast interview that “licensed broadcasters” should push back against ABC’s parent company, Disney, and “preempt” Kimmel.
He then added, “We can do this the easy way or the hard way. These companies can find ways to change conduct and take action, frankly, on Kimmel, or there’s going to be additional work for the FCC ahead.”
In its statement announcing Kimmel’s return, Sinclair insisted that its decision to preempt the show “was independent of any government interaction or influence.” They added: “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.”
While Kimmel returned to most ABC channels on Tuesday, Sept. 23, Sinclair and Nexstar continued to preempt the show. In their statement, Sinclair said it had “received thoughtful feedback from viewers, advertisers, and community leaders representing a wide range of perspectives” on its decision to pull the show.
They added: “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.”
Sinclair went on to say that it held discussions with ABC where they “proposed measures to strengthen accountability, viewer feedback, and community dialogue,” including the appointment of a “network-wide independent ombudsman.” The added: “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.”
Following its original decision to preempt Kimmel, Sinclair said it would air a special dedicated to Kirk in the show’s usual time slot on Sept. 19. Just 10 minutes before the special was set to air, though, Sinclair announced that the Kirk special would instead air on YouTube, with Sinclair affiliates airing Celebrity Family Feud reruns instead.
As for Nexstar, it has yet to announce if, or when, Kimmel will return to its affiliate stations. Notably, the company is seeking to pull off a $6.2 billion merger with Tegna, which will require the FCC’s approval.
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