Finally! Jimmy Kimmel‘s late-night talk show ‘Jimmy Kimmel Live!’ blackout is completely over as the show has officially returned to Sinclair and Nexstar’s ABC affiliate stations after being suspended.
ABC Announces Indefinite Suspension Of Jimmy Kimmel After Jokes About Donald Trump Mourning Fatal Shooting Of Charlie Kirk
As we previously shared, on September 15, Kimmel shared a monologue referencing Charlie Kirk‘s shooting. The controversial Conservative commentator was fatally shot in the neck on September 10 during a public speaking engagement at Utah Valley University.
Kimmel also shared jokes about how President Donald Trump mourned his dear friend’s death. While joking about Kirk and Trump, Kimmel said:
“We’ve 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, but in between the finger-pointing, there was grieving.
On Friday, the White House flew the flags at half staff, which got some criticism. But, on a human level, you can see how hard the president is taking this. [cuts to video of Donald Trump telling reporters about construction on new White House ballroom after 150 years].
Yes, he’s at the fourth stage of grief: construction. There’s demolition…construction. This is not how an adult grieves the murder of somebody they call a friend. This is how a four-year-old mourns a goldfish. Okay? And it didn’t just happen once.
By Wednesday (September 17), ABC announced that they suspended Kimmel’s show “indefinitely” following his remarks. Hours later, President Donald Trump applauded ABC for “canceling” Jimmy Kimmel’s show. By September 19, Variety reported that Kimmel and Disney were working to bring his show back.
Additionally, Sinclair, the nation’s largest ABC affiliate group, claimed it was not enough. Late Wednesday evening, the group called on the FCC and ABC to take additional action, as well Kimmel, personally. The company said it would replace his show with a Charlie Kirk tribute. Sinclair also demanded an apology from Kimmel and urged him to donate to Kirk’s family and his company Turning Point USAVice 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 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.”
Disney Announces Return Of Jimmy Kimmel’s Show But Top ABC Affiliate Group Sinclair Refuses To Air It After Demanding Host Apologize And Donate To Charlie Kirk’s Family
After much pressure from consumers — who were canceling their Disney+ and Hulu subscriptions and boycotting ABC, etc. — Disney announced the return of Kimmel’s show on Monday (September 22), with the set to air again on Tuesday (September 23). While announcing the news to resume Kimmel’s show on Tuesday (September 23), Disney wrote:
“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.”
However, Sinclair, ABC’s top affiliate group, stood on business and announced it was still banning Kimmel from its stations. Shortly after Disney’s resume announcement, Sinclair announced:
“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.”
RELATED: Jimmy Kimmel Gets Emotional; Never Didn’t Mean To Mock Charlie Kirk Assassination
‘Jimmy Kimmel Live!’ Officially Returns To Sinclair And Nexstar ABC Stations After Initially Demanding Host Apologize & Pay Charlie Kirk Family After Suspension
On September 26, Sinclair updated that it, along with Nexstar, had ended their preemption. Kimmel’s show officially began airing in their markets as of Friday, September 26. The affiliate group stated:
“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.
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.”
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