Screenshot via ABC
Sinclair has agreed to stop preempting Jimmy Kimmel Live! and will allow the show to resume airing on its ABC affiliates, the company announced Friday afternoon.
Jimmy Kimmel’s late night show was indefinitely suspended by ABC after comments the comedian made about Tyler Robinson, the 22-year-old charged with the murder of Turning Point USA founder Charlie Kirk.
“We hit some new lows over the weekend, with the MAGA gang 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,” said Kimmel on the Sept. 15 episode.
President Donald Trump and other Republicans lauded the suspension while Kimmel’s supporters denounced it as censorship, since it came in the aftermath of vociferous criticism from the president and comments from his Federal Communications Commission Chairman Brendan Carr that his agency “can do this the easy way or the hard way” if companies don’t “find ways to change conduct and take action.”
On Monday, Disney announced that Jimmy Kimmel Live! would be returning on Tuesday, after “thoughtful conversations with Jimmy” about comments that “were ill-timed and thus insensitive,” but Nexstar and Sinclair announced they would not be airing Kimmel’s show on the dozens of local ABC affiliates that they own.
Kimmel’s first show back after his suspension drew 6.3 million viewers — even with 23% of American households not being able to watch on ABC because of the preemption by Nexstar and Sinclair — plus over 25 million views online.
Also this week: a group of Disney shareholders hired powerhouse litigator Roberta Kaplan to send a letter to the company demanding documents related to the decision to suspend Kimmel’s show, alleging the company put “improper political or affiliate considerations above the best interests of the Company and its stockholders.”
The news that Sinclair was ending its preemption was reported by CNN chief media analyst Brian Stelter, who noted that the company was “admitting it didn’t get what it wanted from Disney.”
As Stelter’s colleague NYC correspondent Hadas Gold noted, the decision to end the preemption after just a few days was “a huge walk back from Sinclair,” with none of their demands being met, including making Kimmel apologize to Kirk’s family and make a “meaningful personal donation” to Turning Point USA.
Sinclair’s statement read 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.
This is a breaking news story and has been updated.
The post Sinclair Agrees to Stop Preempting Jimmy Kimmel Live! After Failing to Get Disney to Budge first appeared on Mediaite.
