Sinclair, a major broadcasting company that airs ABC affiliate networks, announced on Friday that it is ending the suspension of late-night show host Jimmy Kimmel’s program after previously continuing its preemption.
Disney executives, Sinclair and Nexstar indefinitely suspended “Jimmy Kimmel Live!” two days after Kimmel falsely stated during a Sept. 15 monologue that the alleged assassin of Turning Point USA founder Charlie Kirk was part of the “MAGA gang,” despite his family and Republican Utah Gov. Spencer Cox having indicated that he subscribed to left-wing ideology. After the show returned to ABC’s airwaves, Sinclair continued its suspension until Friday afternoon.
“Sinclair today announced that it will end its preemption of Jimmy Kimmel Live! and the show will return, this evening, on Sinclair’s ABC affiliates,” the company’s statement reads. “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.”
The company further condemned the shooting at an ABC affiliate in Sacramento, California, in the aftermath of Kimmel’s suspension.
“Over the last week, we have received thoughtful feedback from viewers, advertisers, and community leaders representing a wide range of perspectives,” the statement continued. “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 also confirmed that its decision to suspend the program was “independent of any government interaction or influence.” This disputes claims by many Democratic politicians and activists that President Donald Trump and Federal Communications Commission (FCC) chair Brendan Carr influenced the companies’ decisions behind the scenes.
Following Kimmel’s contentious monologue, Disney CEO Bob Iger and Disney Entertainment co-chairwoman Dana Walden reportedly grew concerned that Kimmel would “fan the flames with the MAGA base” with the monologue he planned to give on Sept. 17. The late-night host reportedly planned to accuse conservatives of intentionally taking his words out of context and refused to apologize for his statements about the Kirk assassination.
The executives made the decision to suspend Kimmel’s program as they believed Kimmel would not “take down the temperature.” After engaging in several conversations with Kimmel, Disney announced on Monday that the show would return to the airwaves the following night, though Sinclair and Nexstar continued their preemptions.
During his return on Tuesday, Kimmel appeared to choke up as he asserted that he never intended “to make light of the murder of a young man.” He never directly issued an apology for his previous remarks.
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