Sinclair will not air Jimmy Kimmel Live!
Jimmy Kimmel Live! will not return to Sinclair's ABC affiliates on Tuesday (23.09.25) but the company are still in talks with the network.
Jimmy Kimmel Live! will not return to Sinclair's ABC affiliates on Tuesday (23.09.25).
The long-running talk show was pulled "indefinitely" last week over comments made by host Jimmy Kimmel about Charlie Kirk's death but the Walt Disney Company, who own ABC, confirmed on Monday (22.08.25) that the comic will be back on screen this week.
However, Sinclair - who own or control 39 ABC-affiliated stations across the country - have confirmed they are replacing the show with news broadcasts while continuing talks with the network, having previously pledged not to air Jimmy Kimmel Live! until the host agreed 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.
The company said in a statement: “Beginning Tuesday night, Sinclair will be preempting Jimmy Kimmel Live! across our ABC affiliate stations and replacing it with news programming. Discussions with ABC are ongoing as we evaluate the show’s potential return."
Disney and ABC faced a backlash over the decision to suspend the show, but defended their actions when announcing the programme's return.
Disney said in a statement: "Last Wednesday, we made the decision to suspend production on the show to avoid further inflaming a tense situation at an emotional moment for our country. It is a decision we made because we felt some of the comments were ill-timed and thus insensitive.
"We have spent the last days having thoughtful conversations with Jimmy, and after those conversations, we reached the decision to return the show on Tuesday."
Jimmy was initially suspended after he 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.
He said in an opening monologue: "We hit some new lows over the weekend with the MAGA gang desperately trying to characterise this kid who murdered Charlie Kirk as anything other than one of them and doing everything they can to score political points from it. In between the finger-pointing, there was grieving."
Sinclair later issued a string of conditions they wanted to see met before they would air the show again.
Sinclair Vice Chairman Jason Smith said: "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."
