Jimmy Kimmel asked to apologise by ABC affiliate
Jimmy Kimmel has been asked by ABC's largest affiliate broadcaster to apologise and make a "meaningful personal donation" to Charlie Kirk's non-profit if he wants to return to air.
Jimmy Kimmel has been asked to apologise and make a "meaningful personal donation" to Charlie Kirk's non-profit if he wants to return to air.
The 57-year-old comedian's long-running TV talk-show was pulled by ABC after he recently suggested that Tyler Robinson, the man accused of fatally shooting Kirk at a university in Utah, was aligned to the Make America Great Again movement, and now Sinclair, the broadcasting company which makes up the US' largest ABC affiliate group has issued a string of conditions they want met before they will screen Jimmy Kimmel Live! again.
According to People magazine, the media company said they "objects to recent comments made by Mr. Kimmel concerning the assassination of Charlie Kirk" and, after discussions with ABC, made the decision to "indefinitely preempt" Jimmy Kimmel Live!.
Sinclair Vice Chairman Jason Smith added: "Mr. Kimmel's remarks were inappropriate and deeply insensitive at a critical moment for our country.
"We believe broadcasters have a responsibility to educate and elevate respectful, constructive dialogue in our communities.
"We appreciate FCC Chairman [Brendan] Carr's remarks today and this incident highlights the critical need for the FCC to take immediate regulatory action to address control held over local broadcasters by the big national networks."
The broadcasters vowed not to lift the suspension of the show on their ABC stations until there are "formal discussions" with the network regarding their "commitment to professionalism and accountability".
Sinclair also want Jimmy to "issue a direct apology to the Kirk family" and to make a "meaningful personal donation to the Kirk Family and Turning Point USA," Kirk's organisation which advocates for conservative politics on high school, college and university campuses.
They noted that "regardless of ABC's plans for the future of the programme", they won't broadcast the show again until they are "confident that appropriate steps have been taken to uphold the standards expected of a national broadcast platform."
Sinclair's ABC stations in 30 markets - including KOMO in Seattle, WJLA in Washington, KDNL in St. Louis, KTUL in Tusla, and KATU in Portland — will air a "special in remembrance" of the late political activist in Jimmy Kimmel Live!'s timeslot on Friday (19.09.25).
They are also offering the special to ABC affiliates across the country.
Nexstar Media, the largest local broadcast and digital media company in the US, confirmed on Wednesday (17.09.25) that they planned to "replace the show with other programming".
The company said in a statement: "Nexstar strongly objects to recent comments made by Mr. Kimmel concerning the killing of Charlie Kirk and will replace the show with other programming in its ABC-affiliated markets."
Andrew Alford, the president of Nexstar’s broadcasting division, believes keeping the comedian's show on the air is "simply not in the public interest at the current time".
He said: "Mr. Kimmel’s comments about the death of Mr. Kirk are offensive and insensitive at a critical time in our national political discourse, and we do not believe they reflect the spectrum of opinions, views, or values of the local communities in which we are located."
Alford hopes that the decision will allow "cooler heads" to prevail.
The Nexstar boss is also hopeful of restoring "respectful, constructive dialogue".
He said: "Continuing to give Mr. Kimmel a broadcast platform in the communities we serve is simply not in the public interest at the current time, and we have made the difficult decision to preempt his show in an effort to let cooler heads prevail as we move toward the resumption of respectful, constructive dialogue."
